


This Time

by KungThomasDenTrettonde



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-30 20:51:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 27,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6440047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KungThomasDenTrettonde/pseuds/KungThomasDenTrettonde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cosmos Coffee - Where Coffee is out of this world. Remus isn't thrilled to work here, but it's something to work off his student debt. That is until one Sirius Black enters the premises, and changes Remus' life, for good and for bad. Muggle AU. Rated M for Remus/Sirius in later Chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Morning Shift

It was just another day for Remus Lupin. Turning up to work at 7am, leaving at 5pm. Cosmos Coffee, its "out of this world", or so the advertisements say. Truth is it's really just another coffee shop, and Remus is just another ex-student, working where he does not want to be, simply to pay of his debt.  
A university degree in Film and Directing, and here he was sprinkling cocoa powder onto businessmen's hot chocolates. Not the life he envisioned. But, as always goes at the start of a story, all is about to change.

The lock clicks and I remove the key. The high street is basked in the morning sun as the city begins to rise from its slumber. The sounds of bird song begin to fill the air as the great clock in the city centre begins to chime its deep chime.   
Opening the door, I walk behind the counter and switch on the lights. Cosmos Coffee is just another coffee shop, nothing particularly special, though a favourite with some of the locals, those who like to sip hot coffee and watch the crowds flow past the windows. Checking the book, I look to see who else is on. Only four of us work in the shop: Minerva who manages the shop, myself, Lily, a friend of mine from University, and Severus, who only works here because Lily does, much to her disgust.  
I'm in luck this morning, for as I open the book, Lily comes through the door. The sun shines through her now Rose coloured hair, neatly tied in a bun. She smiles at me as she comes in.

"Lily!" I exclaim, running forwards. We embrace. "How come you're back from your holiday so quickly?"

"I had to; there were problems with the airline. They broke two of their planes so had to shift their flights forward."

"That sucks."

"Indeed, and I have to be back here to earn all that money I spent on the hotel I should be in right now in Istanbul."

We both laugh, before continuing setting up the machines and refilling the various syrups. All the while we talk, watching the windows to see when the first groups of people will start walking around the city. We open at around seven-forty-five, and soon enough crowds of the regulars are in. Coffee after Coffee, tea after tea, all varieties of hot beverage are prepared and passed to the customers. Most of them are much older than Lily or I; both of us are in our twenties. The youngest of them must be around forty.

"Thank you Mrs Trelawny" I say politely to the lady purchasing a Chai Latte. It's not uncommon anymore to know the customers or for them to know us. It's just how it works here. Mrs Trelawny thanks me and moves on, and someone steps up. Someone I don't know.

He's young, dark haired, with a serious sense of style. His dark hair flows around his shoulders, falling over his gold and crimson scarf, wrapped around his neck under his extremely defined face. He's beautiful. He looks up and his eyes lock with mine. They're dark, but with a light behind them one might say was kindness.

"Uhh... Hey. I mean, Good Morning." I say, stuttering slightly. I can see Lily serving another regular shoot me a look. She knows what I'm thinking.

"Morning." The man says. His voice is deep yet smooth as silk. "White Mocha please."

"Yeah of course." I say, still stuttering ever so slightly. "That's two forty-nine. If you wait there I'll get it for you."

He nods and with a murmur of thanks, goes and stands at the end of the counter.

I go and pick up a mug from the cupboard, and all of a sudden, Lily is standing beside me. "Well?" she asks.

"Well what?" I ask, flicking switches and adding coffee and white cocoa to a mug.

"What did you think?" she asks, more hesitantly this time. Lily's always been interested in my romantic life, ever since we were in University. It partly stems from me being the only gay friend she has, the rest stemming from her desire to see me settled and happy.

"He's cute" I say, nonchalantly, before glancing over my shoulder at him. He's standing there, tapping on his phone and smiling the goofiest smile. "Okay he's ridiculously attractive with a voice of silk and the smile of a god." I blurt, slightly too loudly. Luckily nobody hears.

"You should ask who he is."

"I can't though. He's never come in before, he likely won't again."

"Well then you'll just have to make the best white mocha he's ever had so he can't stay away." Lily laughs and returns to the till. Finishing the drink, I stir it before adding the Cosmos trademark, a sprinkle of cocoa in the shape of a star on top. I take it to the man at the counter. 

"You're white mocha sir."

He looks up, his eyes meeting mine again. "Thanks a lot."

As he turns to walk away I have to stop my knees collapsing. That voice...

The clock chimes four-thirty. I look up at the shop for the first time since this morning. All day since the encounter I haven't been able to think of much else other than his smile, voice and damn sexy face. All I've done is make the coffees. Lily taps me on the shoulder. Turning to look at her, she motions with her head. Someone has just walked in. It's the same guy. Walking up to the counter, he places the same order with Lily as he did with me, before sitting down at a table, pulling out a laptop and a set of books.

I prepare his drink and bring it over to him. He thanks me, again in the same voice. I make to walk away, but he continues to speak.

"By the way, the coffee was great this morning."

"Thanks. It's my pleasure."

"Look I know you shut in like half an hour, but can I stay here till around five thirty?"

"I guess you can. I don't leave here till around six normally anyway. Why?" I realise I probably shouldn't have asked. It's not abnormal for someone to stay a bit later than normal, it often happens with local university students who are writing papers.

"Dissertation writing and I can't work at home. Too many people."

"Then sure you can stay, it's no problem."

"That's great, thanks a tonne."

I walk over to Lily who is wiping tables and tell her what's going to happen. "Do you want me to stay with you? I've got paperwork I can do here."

"You can if you want. He's doing university work so he shouldn't be a problem."

"Okay, well I'll head off into the back room, so if you need me for whatever reason just come grab me."   
She hands me the cleaning stuff and disappears behind a door marked "Staff Only". I make a start wiping down tables, and soon enough I'm wiping down the table behind the guy. Glancing over his shoulder, I see his screen, with his title and name in the header.  
Sirius Black - How is death portrayed in children's media?

He must have felt me looking, as he turns to look at me. "Like the title?"

"Yeah, sounds interesting. Better than what I wrote mine on."

"What did you write yours on?" He says, actually sounding interested.

"Horror, and how different techniques and camera angles can be used to raise tension in the viewers."

"Sounds pretty good. I'm guessing you took film?"

"Yeah, I took it here too."

"I did film as well, as my bachelors degree. I changed into a joint English-film masters degree though. Were you taught by Slughorn?"

"His lectures were always the best."

"I definitely agree." Sirius says before pausing. "I'm guessing you've already read my name, but I'm Sirius. Sirius Black."

"Remus Lupin" I reply, shaking his hand. 

"So if you're not too busy, you couldn't help me with some of the film stuff could you?"

An invitation, to sit and just talk to him. How could I refuse? "It'd be no problem." So that's what I spent the next hour doing, sitting with Sirius and talking to him about his work. To be frank, it was the best hour of the day.

Sev opens the door to me the next morning. "You're late."

"And you're not Minerva. It's five past, I got caught at the lights, it happens."

"It's not an excuse."

"No because it happened." I say, striding past him into the shop. Since Sev is here, Lily won't be. Ever since he professed his undying love, devotion, soul and such to her, she stopped working the days that he did. The morning begins as yesterday did. Right up to Sirius walking in at about 10 o'clock. I'm right at the back, cleaning the steamer when Sev comes and taps me on the shoulder.

"Some guy here to see you. Says his name is Sirius or something."

I nod, and come over to the counter. There he stands, beautiful as a Greek mythological hero.

"Hey, I wanted to know if you'd be okay helping me with stuff again tonight."

"Sure, it's good to hear I was a help."

"My tutor thought so, as did I. Said my arguments improved exponentially, and that wherever I was getting these great ideas and such should be consulted again."

"That's great to hear. We shut at 3 today, as it's a Sunday. I can see you then if you want?"

"Sounds great. I'll meet you here then." Sirius says, smiling his somewhat goofy style before leaving.

"What was that about?" Sev asks, curiously.

"Nothing concerning you Sev, now serve that lady, she's been waiting for ages." I reply curtly, winking to Mrs Trelawny who's waiting at the counter. She winks back and we share a laugh.

Three couldn't come quick enough, and before I know it, Sev is packing up and out the door, leaving all the rest of the cleaning up to me. I've only just started the tables when a knock comes from the door. But instead of Sirius, it's Lily and Minerva.

"Where's Sev?" Minerva asks as she barges in, heading towards the back room. Minerva is a lovely woman, well most of the time. When angry, she becomes vicious, but she has a good heart, and is one of the kindest people I know. She doesn't seem happy now, storming around the place.

"He left at about quarter to."

"As per usual." Lily adds. Turning to me, she asks if I had to clean everything up. 

"Yeah I did, and Sirius is coming back. He asked for my help again."

"I'll make sure Minerva and I are out of your way then." Lily replies, pulling on a pair of cleaning gloves.

After another fifteen minutes there's another knock. This time it is Sirius, a bag of books and a laptop in his hands. The shop is pretty much clean and, upon Sirius' arrival, Lily heads into the back room to help Minerva with the accounts.

"Sorry I'm a bit late, got held up at home."

"It's no problem, there's always stuff that needs doing here."

"Still I should have let you know. Here," he says, pulling out his phone. "I may need your help a few times, so if it's okay, can I have your number so I can text you?"

"No problem. Whenever you need help, if I can, I will." I say, putting in my phone number.

"Great, you are literally the best." Sirius says. "I've texted you so you've got my number now. Okay there are some things I want to go over. Let's start with the brothers Grimm."

We sit there till five. I see Minerva stride by outside, meaning Lily convinced her to use the back door rather than disturb us. Sirius is a good worker, if slightly dense at some times. He's ambitious and eager though, constantly running his (often good) ideas past me before adding them.

"You have been so great Remus seriously." he says, as he closes his document and begins to pack up his laptop. The clock outside has just started chiming five in its deep tones.

"It's no trouble dude. I mean I'm enjoying myself as well, it's always interesting to learn new stuff."

"Yeah I get that. Well I've almost reached the required words and I only really need to rework the conclusion. Can we do that tomorrow?"

"Yeah we can." 

"What time? I'm pretty much free all day tomorrow."

"Can we do morning, say eight o'clock. I'm not working tomorrow but I'm sure Lily and Minerva won't mind if we work here."

"That's great. This is really helping me out. I can't thank you enough." and before I know it he's hugging me, and I'm hugging back. His scent is one most peculiar yet insightful. The smell of forest clings to him, but not in a bad way. He smells fresh, yet vaguely musky, and it's horrifically attractive.

The hug ends, but slowly, like neither of us want to let go. "I'd better get going." he says, standing up.

"Yeah. See you tomorrow Sirius.

"You too Remus."

And then he's gone, and a Lily has just emerged from the backroom, bounding towards me rather excitedly. "Who's got another date?" she asks, excitedly.

"You. Sev's really excited." I say dryly, before be both burst into laughter.


	2. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are reading this, yes, It's all been put up in one day as it's been transferred from FanFiction.net. I hope you enjoy it either way.

Lily and I left the shop half an hour after Sirius left. The delay was mostly due to the last bits of clearing up and Lily's constant questioning.

The two of us share a flat/apartment roughly 15 minutes walk from the shop. It's on one of the quieter streets, but just overlooks Holyrood Park. It's the view that gives it the high rent, but on summer mornings it's worth every penny. The sun is just setting as we leave. Minerva locks the doors behind us before heading to her flat above the shop. Lily links her arm with mine and we start walking. The sky is flecked with red and orange flame patterns, and the conversation is full of even more questions. 

"So do you think he likes you?" she asks.

"No, he's just asking for help. You remember being a student, no matter what form the help came in, you would just take it."

"True. But he gave you his number."

"So he could text me and ask me for help."

"But he knows you work here, and he does his work here. Why wouldn't he just walk in and ask Minerva, Sev or me where you are?"

"Because that over complicates things. He just wants help."

Lily stops. Sighing, I turn to face her. "What Lily?"

"You know it's not impossible for someone to like you."

"I know."

"I don't think you do. They won't all be like he was."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"It is though. Remus, I've been able to read you since we got to know each other. You used to be much less... scared, when it came to people you liked."

"I'd rather you not talk about this. I was never scared."

Lily sighs, and continues to walk. 

The rest of the journey home is equally silent but for the rustling of the wind. After the sun sets, the cold draws in with a biting chill. Lily's hand fumbles numbly as she reaches for the buzzer. 

The apartment we live in is fairly old, and has been owned by the same people for years, so much so they even have a concierge, a surprisingly young woman in her thirties, called Nymphadora Tonks, though she asks that we just call her Tonks. There is another concierge, an older guy called Rubeus. Both are great people, but it's impossible to know who's on shift at a different time and both can be fairly strict. It's Rubeus who lets us in. He must be about 50, is rather large, but with kind eyes. Except when you're out late, he gets super mad. Luckily Lily and I are on time.

"Remus, Lily." he grunts gruffly. 

"Evening Rubeus." we say, before ascending the stairs.

The apartment is on the 5th floor of the building. The building isn't particularly tall, only say 6 stories. It's built like a townhouse though, and the other side thought looks out over the park and some quiet streets. I say some, two of them are university accommodation so can be noisy in the evenings.  
The apartment itself isn't large but is spacious, with two bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen which adjoins the sitting room. The real deal-breaker is the large window at the back of the kitchen which looks out towards the park. Setting down our coats, Lily and I proceed to cook supper and sit down to watch some television. Soon enough the sounds of partying can be heard from the streets below.

The alarm clock wakes me up. I dress, and go to wake Lily.

"Morning Sleepyhead. You've got work."

She simply grumbles in reply, and I leave her to wake herself up. Sunlight streams through all the windows in the apartment, and just as I finish sorting my hair, an immaculate Lily Evans stands beside me.

"Ready to go?" she asks brightly.

"Sure."  
The walk in the morning sun is pleasant, and as we traverse the streets of Edinburgh, children on their way to school and business men and women stream through the streets, on their way to school or work.

Minerva is already starting the machines as Lily and I walk in.

"Didn't expect to see you this morning Remus." she says, handing Lily an apron.

"Got stuff to do, so I thought I'd walk Lily here."

"Fair enough. Coffee?" she asks brightly.

"Hot chocolate please." I reply, reaching for my wallet. She waves my money away.

"You do more than enough work here, compared to people like Sev, and I hardly pay you enough anyway."

 

Thanking her, I sit down with the hot drink and pull a book out of my bag. The next forty-five minutes disappear amidst the words of Dune. Before I know it, a freshly shaved Sirius is sat next me.

"Morning." he says brightly, goofy smile and all.

I return his greetings and pack my book away. Lily brings over a pot of tea and we set to work.

"You think it's done?" Sirius asks after just over an hour.

"Looks it. You'll want someone to check over your grammar and structure. Lily is good at all that, and I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping you."

"Lily, as in your girlfriend who works here?"

Well this is a tad awkward. "No, she's not my girlfriend, just my best friend. If you ask her she'll do it."

"I will, and sorry for assuming that. So... you're single?"

"Currently. Why?"

"No reason really. Just curious." he says, smiling at me again.

I can feel some rushing towards my cheeks so I turn and call Lily over. "You couldn't just check the grammar could you?" I ask her.

"Alright, but you're covering for me." she replies, handing me the apron.

Luckily the shop is fairly quiet for the next forty-something minutes, so while Lily meticulously searched Sirius' work, Minerva and I made coffees for the few people who came in.

As the clock chimes ten outside the windows, Lily comes and takes the apron off me. Sirius comes with her, books and laptop in hand.  
"Remus, thanks for all your help."

"It was no problem. You sure you're happy with it."

"You helped write it, so definitely. I want to thank you, so do you want to come out for a drink on me tonight?"

"I'd love to."

"Fantastic!" he says, looking generally pleased. "I'll see you at nine at the city centre okay?"

"I look forward to it."

He smiles once again, before taking his stuff and leaving. Turning I see Lily and Minerva both looking at me, eyebrows raised.

"What?" 

They both start to laugh. "Your cheeks were as red as chillies!" Lily practically yells doubling over from laughing.

Well crap. That must have been weird.


	3. Date Night

"So, how excited are you right now on a scale of 1 to Sev if Lily said yes?" Minerva asks.

"It's just a thank you drink, not a date." I say dryly, even though I hope it's the inverse. Both ladies raise one eyebrow at me simultaneously. "It's not a date!" I repeat, a tad more forcefully this time.

"Which is why you're all flustered and have spent the last hour and a bit looking like a high-school sweetheart on her first date trying to decide what to wear." Lily says. It's not a question, it's a fact. I wish I could deny it, but I feel all giddy inside at the prospect of a drink with sexy Sirius Black.

"You think this isn't okay?" I ask.

"You look great dude, but if you want to impress, you'll change." Lily says, looking to Minerva who nods.

"You can have the rest of the day off Lily, so long as you sort him out. I'll call Sev in, he already owes me."

"Thanks Minerva."

Lily hastens to the door, grabbing my arm as she goes. Before I know it, I'm being buffeted by the winds of the streets. Not five minutes after we left Cosmos, Lily's phone buzzes. She looks at it, laughs, then puts it away.

"What?" I ask curiously.

"Nothing, you'll find out soon enough anyway."

The walk home takes much less time than normal due to Lily's sudden power-walking pace. As we reach the apartment, the clock in the city chimes twelve.

"NINE HOURS!" Lily gasps.

"What? To get ready? That won't take long."

She looks at me, that eyebrow rising for the second time today. "Trust me; it's going to take that long."

Surprisingly it does. A bath, intense eyebrow maintenance, three different outfit combinations and even more intense hair maintenance, all totalling six hours somehow, Lily seems content, mostly anyway.

"I'm not really helping the stereotype with all this preparation am I?" I tell her as she circles around me, making minor adjustments.

"You had the worse eyebrows I'd ever seen, and don't get me started on the hair. Now, I'm still not sure about the jeans."

"You've made me try these on four times already!"

"Doesn't mean they're right though does it." A look of serious contemplation crosses her face for a moment, "The desert boots work better I think."

Sighing, I walk into my room, change my shoes and come out again.

FLASH!

Lily's phone snaps a picture. "What was that for?!" I ask, startled.

"Minerva. She texted asking for a photo."

"Great."

A moment passes before Lily's phone buzzes again. "She approves, you're all ready. Well mostly."

"What more do I have to do?"

"Got everything in your wallet?"

"Money, check. Cards, check. Proof of age, just in case, check." I say, listing them off on my fingers.

"Condom?"

"I shan't be needing one."

"Remus I'm ashamed, I thought you of all people would know that it's safest to use protection."

"No not in that sense, in the sense that it's not a date and I definitely will not be getting laid."

"Take one anyway." Lily insists.

"No."

"Just do it." Her tone grows firmer at this.

"Alright fine." 

The clock chimes in the distance. 7 o'clock.

"It's ridiculous how long this has taken." I exclaim.

"Ehh, not really. Now, how are you at dancing. I know it's been a while."

"I don't expect to be dancing."

"Remus, Sirius is essentially a university student. I doubt you're going to the more old-timey bars, you'll be going to a club. A club means music. Music means dancing. A lack of skill in dancing means a bad impression."

"I'm not dancing. I don't dance anyway."

"We all know you dance. Remember the Yule Ball when we were at uni?"

"No I don't"

"Liar."

Sighing I look at my phone. It reads 19:05 on the screen. "Oh Lily, look at the time. I've got to go, I promised Minerva I'd sort the last of the paperwork for the new machine."

Before Lily can say a word of protest I'm out the door. I wasn't technically lying, but I had to get out of there. It was just two friends going for a drink, if even that.  
I descend the stairs two at a time in the apartment. For some reason I feel in a rush despite having spent the last century on my appearance. I reach the ground floor and have to double take for a moment. Tonks is on the desk, and... she's crying.

"Hey Tonks, you okay?" I ask, tentatively.

She sniffs for a moment. "It's nothing Remus, nothing."

"Clearly not." I insist.

Tonks and I go back almost as far as Lily and I do. Tonks helped me find accommodation when I left university and find work at a good place. I owe her a deal, so I always do my best to help her out.

"It's just, I've lost something. Something precious."

"What did you lose?"

"A ring. My Mum's engagement ring, she gave it to me before she died in the hopes that I would use it. But It's disappeared somewhere."

"I'll help you look for it. Where do you last remember seeing it."

"My car, the staff room or my room."

"Okay, we'll go look in all those places."

It takes a while, but soon enough the ring is found. Just after Tonks calmed down as well, because as soon as she found it, she burst into tears again.

"Thank you Remus" she sobs into my shirt.

"There there Tonks, it's okay." I say, patting her on the back of her head.

She raises it; a tear still in her eyes... and kisses me.

The silence afterwards is awkward and tangible all at the same time. I don't really know what to say. Tonks looks away. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise." I say instinctively. My phone buzzes, and looking down at it I see a text from Sirius. It reads 'On my way. 5 mins, see you at the city centre'. 

Shit. 

The time flew by while I was helping Tonks.

"I have to go."

"Why?" she asks in almost a whisper.

"Meeting someone. No, it's not a date."

"Oh, okay." she says in the same quiet voice.

It takes a great deal of willpower, but I turn and leave the apartment block. The clock in the city starts to chime. Shit.

I arrive, panting, in the city centre at around five past. Sirius is standing under a streetlight, looking around. I wasn't the only one to change, and I must say, he really knows how to dress to impress. I can even feel my body begin to react as I walk towards him.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, I had to help a friend sort some stuff."

"It's no problem. So you ready to go?"

"Yeah. As a matter of fact, where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise."

"Oh really?"

"Yep."

"Now I'm intrigued."

Sirius leads me through the streets of Edinburgh, past Cosmos and into a part of the city I don't really know. Everything around me seems to have gone up a class. The pricetags of the clothes in the window increase massively every shop we pass. Through a small side street then out onto a larger street, then along towards another side street we go. Turning out of this, I'm faced all of a sudden by the open Firth of Forth. Water stretches as far as the eyes can see. A mist hangs over the water, illuminated by the bright light of the full moon. I gasp as the sight reaches my eyes and Sirius grins.

"You never been this way before?"

"Had no reason to. I've been by the harbour but that's about it."

"It's about to get better, I promise."

He leads me along another pathway until we reach the doors of a pub. It's fairly old looking, but is polished, so much so it's in fitting with the designer shops on the other side of the street. Sirius leads me in.

The interior has the rustic feel yet oozes contemporary. It's not particularly busy but looks full of people.

"You approve?" Sirius asks me.

"My god." Is all I can say. I had just seen the specials board and the prices. 

Sirius walks over to the man behind the bar, and he then leads us to a table, a reserved table.

"What'll you have to drink?" he asks.

"Bottle of White." Sirius says. The man nods and walks off. "You don't mind white do you? I can't stand the red stuff."

"It's fine by me, I'm not too fond of Red either."

The barman brings over a bottle of white, a couple of glasses then lights the candle between Sirius and I. 

I've only just noticed that the music in here is coming from a stand over in the corner. A man and woman are singing together about love. As I watch them, I feel Sirius' eyes watching me.

A couple of menus are brought over, and I peruse the food. They have everything here from Caviar to Fish and Chips. I hope the portions are as big as the prices are.

"What do you think you'll have?" Sirius asks me, taking a sip of wine.

"Take a guess."

"Same as me then."

We both say the same thing at the same time: "Fish and Chips it is."

Sirius laughs and I take my first sip of wine. I hate to think of how much this must cost, because it tastes divine.

A waitress comes over and takes our order. Idle conversation ensues between Sirius and I until the food is brought out.

"So you used to live in Ireland?" I ask.

"Yeah, my mum's side of the family come from there. I must say, I didn't enjoy it much, because we lived in the middle of nowhere. That's the reason I decided to go into film."

"Oh really?" 

"Yeah. I used to spend my time there, surrounded by empty hills and fields, watching films and wishing I could go to all the places that directors and camera people go."

"Seems like a fair reason. The only reason I did is because it was one of the only things I could do."

"I'm sure you're good at lots of things. You make good coffee, that's something at least."

I ignore his slight joke. "I wanted to go into writing, write some books and some screenplays for different things. I was going to, until I got my exam results and learnt I couldn't write for anything."

"Exams don't mean much, in the long run anyway. You only use them till you go onto something better, like degrees." Sirius says. He rests his hand on mine as he speaks.

I will myself to pull my hand away, but nothing happens. 'It's just a thank you, not a date' I tell myself.

"Thanks by the way, for all this." I say.

"No, I should be thanking you. You're probably the only reason I'll pass my dissertation."

"Still, this is a very big thank you."

"I thought it appropriate, and worth it for you." he tells me.

"Thanks."

"I hope you don't mind my asking, but you are single?"

"Yeah, still single since this morning."

"Good. Well, do you want to come out with me again? I mean, this was great but I'd really like there to be a next time."

I smile at him. "I think I could work with that."

Two cracking deserts later, Sirius walks me back to the city centre. 

"So, whenever you're next not working, we'll go get breakfast somewhere nice." he says.

"Sure, I'd like that. Just not as fancy as that if you don't mind. I appreciate it, but I know this great local run shop which does the best pancakes."

"Okay." he says again, laughing slightly. "I guess I'll see you pretty soon then."

"Oh, you will." I say. "Text me, okay?"

"Definitely."

All this time we've been moving closer and closer. At his last words, the gap closes and I feel his lips on mine. And I like it.

On the walk back to the apartment, I have more of a spring in my step. Rubeus lets me in, thank god, and I head up the stairs to the apartment. Lily is waiting on the sofa when I come in.

"So, how was it?"

I consider how to answer for a second, before walking towards the bathroom, saying on the way: "I take it back, it was definitely a date."


	4. Official

"So you finally admit it was a date?"

"Yes Minerva, it was a date."

The events of last night have left me in a good mood, enough to go through Minerva's extensive questioning and do a double shift at Cosmos.

"Will there be another date?" she asks, cranking the orange juice machine.

"Yeah, we're doing breakfast soon." I say, handing Mrs Sprout her receipt. "Thank you Mrs Sprout, have a good day now."

"Will do Remus." she says curtly, before leaning in, "there's a young man in the window trying to get your attention you know."

Turning I see Sirius standing outside by the window, grinning.

"Thank you Mrs Sprout." I say.

"Go see him." Minerva says, handing Mr Binns his orange juice, "just be back in a few minutes."

I nod and leave the coffee shop. The wind outside is bracing and cold sweeps over me in seconds. Almost instantaneously however, arms wrap around me.

"Morning. I was walking by, and couldn't resist saying hello. If you were here of course."

I return the hug. "Morning. I had a great time last night."

"I'm glad. We still have to do breakfast you know. You promised me great pancakes."

"That I did. I'm not working Thursday, so day after tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me."

"Great. Now I've got to head back in, unless you want a coffee, because I'm due a break anyway."

"Sadly I can't. Got to go see the bank."

"Last night didn't bankrupt you did it?"

He laughs, "No, but I've got to do some transfers and fill out forms and all that malarkey, all boring stuff."

"I don't envy you."

"Well, I don't want to keep you from some old lady's coffee. Plus I've an appointment to keep."

"Just one more minute."

The minute couldn't have gone faster, and before I know it, we've bid each other goodbye and he's walking away. The cold bites again in a matter of moments, however, and Minerva knocks on the window to tell me to come in. The rest of the shift goes as planned, and soon enough the shop is full as the lunchtime rush sets in. I've got the lunch shift off as I'm also working the evening shift later on. Minerva lets me out as soon as Sev turns up.

I pass him as he comes through the door.

"I heard you and Sirius Black had a date." he says, almost sneering as he does so.

"Yeah Sev, and?" I ask.

"If only you know who he really is." he sneers again, before walking into the back room.

What could Sev had meant. His words were always to be taken with a kilo of salt, but he had moments of seriousness. His words puzzled me, so much so I pull out my phone.

'Hey, I'm off work right now, do you wanna go for lunch?' I send to Sirius.

Moments later my phone buzzes with his response. 'Sure. City Centre, 5 mins'.

Five minutes later, standing by the fountain, there he is.

"Hey." he says.

"Hi. I'm on lunch break for a couple of hours, so we can chill for a while."

"Sounds good. Where do you want to go for lunch."

"I thought you wanted pancakes?" I say.

"For Lunch?" he asks, confused.

"And you called yourself a university student." I mutter, taking his hand and leading him down the street.

The cafe does all day breakfast, and soon enough he and I are in a both with a literal tower of pancakes coated in Maple Syrup.  
We start eating and make some conversation, the "how was your morning" kind of thing. Sev's words still puzzle me however, and now's the time to ask questions.

"So, you know what I do. How do you earn your money?"

"I'm a student."

"I know, but you've blatantly got some change to throw around, how come. Family give it to you?"

His fist clenches at the mention of family, but loosens as he looks up at me.

"No. My family didn't give me anything. All the money I have I earned myself."

"By doing what?"

Sirius sighs. "I work in accounts, side job only, but well paying."

"Who for?"

"Just some guys. I don't really like talking about my work too much, or family, to many people. Just for future reference."

I know better than to press the issue. "Well I'm not many people, or so I'd like to think."

"You certainly aren't many people. They aren't as cute or know good pancake places." We laugh, before he continues, "I know I can talk to you about this kind of thing, but not right now."

"If you want to, talk to me whenever. You know I'll be here."

"As will I."

"I meant by you, not in a chair eating the leaning tower of pancakes."

"Well I'll be here anyway."

We finish the pancakes, well Sirius finishes his then mine, and go for a walk around the city. It turns out Sirius has a love for second-hand bookshops, so we spend a long time examining all the archaic volumes of books long forgotten. It's surprisingly enjoyable, normally this stuff would bore me, but I guess it's the company. All that ends when my phone buzzes, telling me my shift's starting again.

Were still in one of the bookshops. Historical Tomes line the walls and Sirius is flicking through a book on Vikings.

"I've got to go. Work again." I tell him.

"Oh." Sirius looks up from his book, looking disappointed.

"I've enjoyed this afternoon."

"As have I. I still want to do Thursday breakfast." he says. "How about Supper, my place, tonight?" he asks.

"That'd be great." 

"Fantastic." he says, looking relieved. "I was scared you'd be busy or at work or something."

"Even if I was, I'd make time for you."

Sirius grins, before pulling me in for a hug.

"When you get off work, text me. I'll be in the city for a while longer, I mean we've only done half the book shops, and I'll come pick you up."  
"Sounds great." I say.

Sirius now does something unexpected, but not at all unpleasant. He kisses me. In that moment, time stops. The strong winds from outside turn silent, the murmuring of customers dies down. Nothing exists but Sirius and I.

"Sirius" I whisper as we pull apart.

"Remus, I... I want us to be official." he whispers back at me.

"You mean... you want to be my boyfriend."

"One hundred times yes."

"Not enough." I say jokingly.

"A million."

"Still not enough."

"I'll take that as a yes, now shut up and kiss me again."

And we do just that.

"Remus, you're late back." Minerva says.

I can't help but smile. "Sorry Minerva, I was with my boyfriend. It won't happen again."

"You bet your arse it won't." Minerva says curtly, handing a customer a coffee. She then leans in, "Congratulations, you really deserve it."

This time, I think she's right.


	5. Andromeda

The van hits a bump in the road. The ropes on my wrists burn as I try to work them free. Sirius sits by me, stone faced, looking over to her. She sits there with Lily, pale faced and terrified.   
"How did they find us?" Sirius whispers to nobody in particular. The bruise on his forehead shines purple in the night light.

The van hits another bump. How did we even get here?

_That morning..._

"So you and he are now official?" Lily asks, practically bouncing up and down with excitement.  
"Well he asked me, and I said yes, kind of."  
"Kind of?"  
"We made out a lot. I'd say that's a yes."  
"Certainly implies so. Oh Remus, it's been so long, I'm really happy for you. It'll turn out better than last time, I swear."  
"It certainly will." I say, slightly wishing she hadn't brought it up.  
"Now, we've got to go. If you're lucky, he may come in for coffee."  
"If only."

It's just Lily and I working there today. Lily goes around opening the shop whilst I start the machines up. Sirius doesn't come in throughout the whole shift, but texts me just before my morning break.  
  
'Morning! :) You working today?'  
'Yeah, just about to go on break. You in city?'  
'Yep. See you in 3.'

Two minutes later, Sirius comes striding in.  
"Morning handsome, morning Lily." he says brightly, giving me a kiss on the check.  
"Morning." Lily says, equally cheerily from behind the counter.  
"Morning Sirius." I smile. It's been a busy morning and has tired me out a bit.  
"You okay Remus." Sirius asks, looking slightly concerned.  
"Just tired. Busy shift, plus last night."  
"You said. It was a good moon last night, from what I saw anyway."  
"Remus has a thing for astronomy, especially the moon." Lily interjected.  
"That so? You have a telescope?"   
"I do. It's not great but you can just about see the stars and constellations. Orion, Canis Major..."  
"Canis Major is a favourite of mine." Sirius says.  
"Because it has a star called Sirius?"   
"Maybe.... Why do you like the moon so much."  
"I used to spend ages looking up at it, with my parents, Lily and... other people."

Lily looks at me suddenly, surprise in her eyes.  
"Other people?" Sirius asks, curiously.  
"Just old friends," I pause, before continuing, "an ex. Those kind of people who aren't really around anymore."  
Sirius can sense I'm not particularly keen on talking about this, as I did when talking about his family, so neatly steers the conversation away.  
"By the way, you've got to come out with me tonight. Lily, you can come too, I've got three tickets and it's going to be great."  
"Tickets for what?" Lily and I ask.  
"It's a surprise, but I'm sure you'll love it."  
"Sure, I'll come." I say.  
"If I'm not in the way or majorly 5th wheeling, then sure." Lily says.  
"You won't be, my cousin Andromeda is coming. What's your address, I'll come pick you up."  
I give him the address of the apartment.  
"I'll see you at six then, okay?"   
"Sounds great."

Sirius kisses me goodbye, waves to Lily then hurriedly exits the shop. He comes back in, kisses me again, and then leaves for the final time.  
"What do you think he has tickets for?" I ask Lily.  
"Cinema, Theatre, that kind of thing probably, or a concert."  
"He really treats me."  
"That he does..." Lily pauses. "You know, you'll be able to tell him, tell him all about her. He'll understand."  
"Lily, please I don't want to bring this up."  
"I understand, but I can tell you're scared that he will do the same as she did."  
"Lily..."  
"He won't. That's enough said, now, we'll close up for fifteen minutes and have a drink then re-open, okay?"

The rest of the time at work goes on rather uneventfully, and at 4 o'clock we're handing over to Sev and Minerva who are taking over for the evening shift. Lily and I hurriedly walk back to the apartment to begin the going out ritual of getting ready.   
"You think I look okay?" Lily asks me. Turning I see her standing, red hair in a bun in a leather jacket and jeans.   
"Lovely Lily. Wait a second." I pause, my phone having buzzed. "You may want to change Lily, Sirius says 'dress formal'."  
It takes another fifteen minutes but as the clock in the city chimes six, we're standing in the lobby of the apartment as a car pulls up outside.

Lily changed the look, with her hair thrown over one shoulder and the jacket and jeans becoming a jade coloured formal dress. I've just gone for the smart trousers and jumper look. Leaving the apartment and getting into Sirius' car, I see he's done the same as I. Sirius' cousin, Andromeda, is a lovely woman. Dark hair neatly in a bun, she has a warm smile and gentle tone.  
"Nice Car." I say, climbing into the front seat. It is as well, an old silver Aston Martin.  
"Thanks. You all ready?"  
"Yep." Lily and I say.

Sirius drives us through the city and back into the rich districts. The streets are busy and full of people moving around though the roads are relatively clear. Sirius parks in a public car park then walks Lily, Andromeda and I up. Sirius takes my hand as we walk, and Lily and Andromeda chat behind us, saying the typical "Oh I love your shoes." "No yours are much nicer" kind of thing. Sirius and I snort with laughter as we listen.

Sirius stops in front of an old hall.  
"An Opera House?" Lily asks incredulously.  
"Did Sirius not tell you?" Andromeda asks, "We're going to see Hämärä." Seeing the look on mine and Lily's face, see expands on what she said. "It's a Finnish Opera, well, Opera with a surprise. It's got rave reviews and it's taken a great deal of Europe by storm."  
"Really? I never thought I'd see an Opera. I didn't realise they were still a thing." Lily babbles, excitedly.  
"This okay with you?" Sirius asks me.  
"More than okay, this is pretty cool."  If only I knew what would happen that night.

We got in, bought some drinks and got seated. The opera house was packed. Sirius hadn't gotten us a box, but the seats had a fantastic view. People from all ages were here. Children, adults, elders and even teenagers.  
"Big crowd. Not what I thought I'd see for an Opera."  
"Like Andromeda said, it's not just an Opera." Sirius says.

It starts just like an Opera. Two men are singing angrily at each other. I'm just getting into the groove when the change happens.

Dance music.

"Electro Opera?" I ask, rather shocked, as the crowd begins to go wild.  
"Yep. You should wait till you see the main act. Woman called Marlene McKinnon, sings crazy good."  
"Marlene." I whisper to myself. Lily has turned to look at me, that same look on her face.  
A woman strides out onto stage. She's tall, blonde, hair flowing around her figure. She opens her mouth and the pure tones of the mezzo-soprano resonate from her.

Reality has hit me suddenly, and I'm starting to feel dizzy.  
"Remus." Lily asks, her voice urgent. "You feeling okay?"  
"Yeah Lily, I'm... I'm fine."  
"You're pale and shaking."  
"Remus?" Sirius asks, looking concerned upon looking at me. Andromeda is sat beside him, totally absorbed in the atmosphere.  
"I'm fine Sirius." I snap, "I need the toilet. I'll be back." I say, more calmly this time, standing up and edging along the row. Lily follows me out the row and into the foyer. I walk towards the men's but she catches me.  
"Remus, it's okay. She doesn't know you are here."  
"God Lily, why did it have to be her, and with him here."  
"Shh, don't break down, you'll be fine. We'll watch the rest, then go."  
"I want to go now."  
"We can't go now. Think of Sirius, you have him, you don't even need to consider her."  
"But Lily."  
"You don't even have to look, or listen. Just ignore it, ignore her."

Lily helps me calm down my breathing, and we go back in.  
"You okay Remus?" Sirius asks, looking so sad and worried.  
I can't help but smile at his worried face. I kiss him. "I'm okay. It was nothing, okay."  
Sirius rests his arm round my shoulder and I rest my head on his shoulder. With Sirius here, even the screechy noises of Marlene's singing don't faze me.

The opera ends with one fantastic dance song. The whole crowd are dancing in their seats as a rather large lady belches out a note as long as my arm.  
"You enjoy?" Sirius asks Andromeda, Lily and I.  
"Definitely." We reply.  
"Good, because we're going backstage."  
My stomach drops. What. I consider getting out of it, feigning illness or some other excuse.   
Sirius leans in. "It's Andromeda's birthday and she loves this stuff. You don't mind do you?"  
I sigh inaudibly, before swallowing the lump in my throat. "Of course not."

The backstage is full of people, all bustling carrying various costumes and such. The stars are all standing around together with another group who have backstage passes.

Sirius, Lily, Andromeda and I approach them. Andromeda begins congratulating them all and getting autographs and selfies. I'm standing somewhat behind Sirius, best to be unseen. That is until:  
"Lily Evans!" A shrill voice yells out.  
"Marlene... How good to see you after all these years." Lily replies dryly.  
Sirius' face is confused, looking between Lily and Marlene, so much so he steps back, brining me into her view.  
"Remus Lupin." Marlene says, her voice suddenly very cold.  
"Marlene."  
"Wait, you all know each other?" Sirius asks, very confused. Andromeda is not paying attention to any of this, still stuck in a bubble with the crowd.

Marlene's gaze unsettles me, as it did all those years ago, when she ruined my life.  
"What are you doing now?" she asks, feigning interest.  
"Nothing much." I reply, my voice weaker than anticipated.  
"I see you managed to scrape a career." Lily says coldly, standing by me.  
"So rude Miss Evans, but I guess I'm the successful one here. You still scrubbing tables for pennies?" she jeers.  
Sirius is standing by not exactly sure what to say.  
"No actually, I'm quite happy with my life, without you."  
"That's nice to hear. Still fighting Remus' battles."  
"Hey, that's uncalled for and not really professional." Sirius interjects, trying to keep the situation calm. Lily just continues over him. "Well you threw his life to shit and then walked off. I actually did something good, unlike you who did what exactly. Oh yes, went and whored herself out."  
"You're one to talk. Tell you what Lily, go get us some Punch, I'm sure Remus wants to catch up."

I'm still silent, staring at the floor. I can feel the gaze of both Marlene and Sirius on me.  
"I'm sure he doesn't."  
"Lily, don't speak for him, he has his own voice."  
"He did until you effectively stole it from him."  
"Enough." Marlene half-yells shrilly.

I raise my head to look at Sirius. His eyes convey both confusion and understanding.  
"Lily, take him to my car." he says handing Lily the keys. He's clearly unsure as of what to do, stuck between coming to my defence and ruining his cousin's birthday by causing a scene.

Marlene grabs me by the face before Lily can respond.  
"HEY!" Sirius yells, moving to push her off me, "Don't grab him!"  
"Remember this?" Marlene whispers to me, "you could  never get away from me, and even if you did, I'd always find you, always have control over you." She lets me go, then strides off.

"What was that about?" Sirius asks, confused.  
I still have no words to say, so I just slowly shake my head. Andromeda walks over.  
"Everything okay?" she asks, brightly.  
"Yeah, everything's fine." Lily says quickly, "Remus isn't feeling well, so I'm going to take him to the car."  
"We may as well just all go." Andromeda says, her face changing as she recognises the change in jolly atmosphere, face dawning with realisation of the mood in the air, "they're all pretentious assholes anyway."   
It's all I can do to look at her, to convey my thanks, for giving up a possible once in a lifetime opportunity for me.

We leave the backstage and enter the foyer of the Opera house. People are here waiting for the second performance of the evening. Sirius cuts us a path straight through the crowd to the outside.

The air has a biting chill, and the moon has already risen over the abnormally dim city. Everything glows with a ghostly light.

We walk towards the car before Sirius stops suddenly. The car is only about 10 metres away, but the sudden nature of his stop causes us to do the same.  
"What is it?" Lily asks.  
Sirius turns his head, listening intently. When he turns to face us, he's as white as I am. Seeing his face, Andromeda's eyes widen. She steps back, a look of terror on her face.  
"What is it?" Lily asks again, now a whisper.  
"They're here." Sirius says, not even bothering to whisper.

The lights on the front of the opera house cut out, leaving us in near darkness. It's only momentary, but as the light goes, running footsteps echo around us.

A collision. I'm thrown to the ground. A man. He's heavy. Lily's scream. Andromeda's too. The sound of a punch. Sirius yelling, colliding with the ground. Everything blurs. The ground moves below me, the man has picked me up. I'm thrown into what seems to be the back of a van. My hands are bound.

I'm sat down. Sirius and Lily are put next to me, also tied. A bruise is forming on Sirius' forehead. Andromeda is sat opposite us, next to Lily. She has tears in her eyes.

The van doors slam shut, and we begin to move off. All the while, the moon shines its ghostly light.


	6. Chapter 6

"So I guess I owe you an explanation." Sirius mutters to me.

We've been in the van for nearly four hours now. Not being driven anywhere, just sitting in the bleak darkness. Andromeda isn't here. They took her out about half an hour ago, she hadn't even stopped crying.

"This might be a good time."  I say. I've appeared to be remarkably calm considering the situation. Inside, I'm terrified. Lily got caught up in this and she's done nothing wrong. Neither have I, to my knowledge anyway, but she has no links to Sirius other than through me.

"Well... where to start I guess." Sirius says, slowly as he ponders how to phrase the reason for our current predicament. "You know I don't like talking about my family, but I'll have to. It's because of them we're here."  
"I take it you don't mean the kind souls like Andromeda when saying family?" Lily asks.  
"She is a member of my true family, made up of so few of those who grew up in the extended family. I've told you what I do for a living haven't I?"  
"Accounting, you said." I answer.  
"Yeah, I do the account for an old friend of parents; old as in he saw sense and broke ties with them quickly. His names Albus, he works in Oil Industry. My family do too, to a great extent. They came up with the expression 'Black Gold', the name of their company, and they have lots of both."  
"Alright, that finances the goons who attacked us, but why are they after us in the first place?" Lily asks, the panic still clear in her voice after all these hours.  
"They aren't after us all. I'm really sorry, but you both were in the way at the time. They were after Andromeda and I, more specifically her."  
"Why?" I ask.  
"We escaped the family, us and others. Black Gold operates in the Middle East and Caucasus region, and it's where the family is based too. When I say escaped, I mean it literally. I fled home and came here. Andromeda fled and came here too, before going south. There are others, I know my brother Regulus is in Bucharest, or was. A cousin of mine, Narcissa, is in Buenos Aires."  
"So they want you back?"  
"Essentially. They let us be unless they have reason not to."  
"So what have you and Andromeda done?"  
"Andromeda fled, not just from the family but from money. She was arranged to marry, a rich Azerbaijani oil broker, the kind of man Andromeda despises. I... well, the family feel I've brought shame on them."  
"How?"  
Sirius turns to me, "because of you. I'm supposed to marry a rich woman, have lots of children and grow the family. Not only am I doing the opposite, the idea that a Black is interested in the same sex is shameful to them."

His words leave me hollow.  
"So I'm to blame?" I ask, my voice dragging slightly. Even in the dark, I can feel Lily's eyes on me, her breaths silent, watching what happens next.  
"Of course not. They came for Andromeda anyway."  
"Yet they got you too, because of me?"  
"No. Don't think like that, they chose today, her birthday, because they knew we'd be together."  
"You said it yourself; they would have let you be without me."  
Sirius pauses, and then sighs. "Remus, we can discuss this later. It's not your fault, not at all. But right now, I want to get her back."  
"Then I guess we should get moving." Lily says, abnormally brightly.

The two of us turn to her. She waves at us.  
"How did you get out of the bindings?" Sirius asks, incredulously.  
"A lot of fumbling and an old kinky boyfriend." Lily replies, shuffling over to us and undoing our bindings.  
"You still surprise me, after all this time." I tell her, rubbing my wrists.  
"I do aim to please. Now." Lily replies, before barging against the door of the van. It flings open on the third bash and we step out.

"Where are we?" Lily asks.  
The ground rocks slightly beneath us.  
"I think we're on a ship." I murmur, as the ground rocks again.  
"Probably headed to the Islands of the Forth, they'll have a plane of some kind there to take Andromeda back."  
"Why did they take her out before us?"  
"Probably to tell her off and try and guilt trip her into cooperating." Sirius says.  
"Well then let's go find them." I reply.  
"You both should stay here, they'll get violent to try and keep her."

I face Sirius and kiss him. "They threatened you and kidnapped Lily, they can just try and hurt me."  
Lily stands behind us. "I've had to deal with strong men before. Just aim for the balls and they go down like crying children."

Sirius laughs before taking a set of metal stairs up to a doorway. Entering it, we enter a posh looking corridor. Carpets with fancy patterns line the floor and the walls are wood panelled. The sounds of people, lots of them, come from one side of the ship.  
"I think we're on a cruise ship." Lily says.  
"In which case, Andromeda will be away from the tourists, so this way." Sirius continues before rushing down a corridor. Lily and I follow closely, taking each turn he does, every doorway he marches through, until we reach a bulkhead.

Two men in suits stand there, and upon seeing us, one charges forwards. The other knocks on the bulkhead door, and begins to yell. "They got out, the other three!" The man who has charged forwards is buffeted back as Sirius sprints and collides with him. He crumples against the bulkhead door. The other man looks shocked for a second, but before he can react Sirius floors him with a punch. Rubbing his knuckles, he turns to look at us. One man is on the floor, the other staggering backwards towards a wall. Sirius rams his elbow into the head of the one on the floor knocking him down. The other man has recovered. He runs at Sirius, but I charge into him. His head makes a horrible crunch against the wall, and he slumps down.

"I think they're both unconscious..." Sirius says, looking down at them both.   
Lily prods one with her foot. "I'd agree." She then proceeds to open the bulkhead door in front of us. It opens onto another corridor which ends with another door. The corridor is empty. "I guess whoever they knocked too wasn't there." she says.  
"Or went to tell someone else." I reply. We advance down the corridor, Sirius leading, and open the other door. An office now sprawls before us, and this time it's not empty.

Andromeda is sitting in a chair, her arms tied to the sides, tears streaking down her face. Her cheeks are red, the faint line of a handprint on one. One man stands behind the chair, his face scarred. Another stands in front of Andromeda, all muscle from the looks of it. A third man, older, grey haired and definitely not the average grunt, stands looking out of the window.

"Pleasure you could join us Sirius." he says, his tone gravelly.  
At seeing the man, Sirius goes pale, but stands his ground. "Good evening father. Would you kindly release my cousin from your custody now? I think she needs to go home."  
Sirius' father laughs. "Sirius, you never knew where home really was. Where did you think we were taking her?"  
"To hell are you taking her back there. Why can't you just let her live her own life, why can't you let all of us just be who we want to be?" Sirius spits, his fist clenched.  
"She is coming home with us. She can live her own life, once she repays the family for giving her the life she's lived."  
"So you're going to force her to marry so you can get some more money and grow the company. Is that all you care about, the business and your legacy."  
"I care about the family, something which you do not understand, and are no longer a part of due to your recent 'fraternizations'."  
"At lease Remus cares. Something you never did."

While all this arguing is going on, Lily and I are standing behind Sirius. I want to help him, to back him up, but what can I say?

"I told you I do care."  
"About the family, something I don't want to be part of."  
"That boy will never care about you; I doubt he even knows what you've done."  
Sirius just stares at his father, eyes dark and full of rage. His clenched fist is now shaking with anger.  
"I don't care what he's done." I say. My voice is shaky, reflecting my confidence, but I have to say something. "How dare you attempt to say anything against him! He has been a better man in the time I've known him than you have been in the last 24 hours. You can't judge him when you've kidnapped four innocent people who have done nothing wrong."  
"How dare you even speak to me you faggot scum." Sirius' father shouts at me.   
That's the only words he can say however, as Sirius has launched himself at his father, knocking him to the ground. Punch after punch swings into his prudish face until the two grunts throw Sirius off. They move to bear down on him but Lily and I stand before them.

Sirius' gets to his feet and wipes some dust off of his suit. He presses his hand against his face, eyes murderous.  
"You're going to be very sorry that you did that."  
"Not as sorry as you're going to be." Sirius threatens. The two grunts step forward, raising fists.  
"Rob, Andy, stand back." Sirius father says, turning back to us. "I'll make you a proposition Sirius. I'll let Andromeda go, on the condition that you break off whatever you and this man," he gestures to me, "think you have. You'll return to the Headquarters and family compound outside Baku with me in a few days."  
My heart stops. Sirius goes pale once more, and turns to me. His eyes are scared, unsure of what to say. Taking a breath, despite my heart longing me to say the opposite, I turn to Sirius' father.  
"He will. He and I are done as soon as she has been let go and is out of your sight."  
I lay my hand on Sirius' shoulder, "It's for the best Sirius, for her. It's the decision you've got to make. You'd never forgive yourself otherwise."  
Andromeda resumes crying, eyes looking up at me. Lily stands there, stony faced. Sirius is still silent, but his father nods in approval.  
"Andy, untie Andromeda and let her go with these two. Sirius is staying with us."  
"I need to go get my things from home first." Sirius says, numbly.  
"Then Andromeda will stay with us till then. We are flying out of Glasgow airport, two days from now at 9am. Be there with everything. We will give you Andromeda then, and you will fly with me back to Baku."  
"Okay." I say, "lay a hand on her until then, there will be consequences."  
"Back out of this deal, then there will be consequences."   
"Understood."  
"Two days, the airport in Glasgow."

Sirius's father motions us out of the room. Sirius hugs Andromeda, who afterwards clutches me in a tight embrace. She's still crying, so I comfort her before turning to leave with Lily and Sirius.

**_That evening..._ **

The ship was still in the harbour, so we got out easily enough. Sirius has been quiet all day since then, contemplating what was going to happen.  
"I'm sorry I put you in for that, but I knew what would happen otherwise." I say, trying to console him. "Had you not chosen Andromeda you would have never forgiven yourself."  
"I know. But I... I can't bear to lose you." He practically whimpers to me.

The door bursts open and in comes Lily.  
"You won't have to. I've got an **idea**."

 


	7. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning - This Chapter features Mature scenes of a sexual nature between two male characters. If that's not your thing, please look away because you don't know what you're missing out on.

Despite Lily's idea, Sirius has spent the last couple of days in near complete silence. He's just sat all day, doing things he's clearly not interested in. I came back from work to find him reading one of my books, but his eyes weren't focused on the pages he turned.

The day of the 'swap' is tomorrow. If all goes to plan, then tomorrow we should all be back here, Sirius and Andromeda included.

While he's been staying here, Sirius has slept in my room. I've been sleeping on the sofa; I can tell that he needs his space. Should this all go wrong, god knows what will happen to us, especially him.

The front door clicks, opens and shuts again.  
"How was work?" I ask, knowing it's Lily who has come back in.  
"Fine. Sev was there as well since Minerva was catering to a party. He asked me out for tomorrow and I turned him down. I don't think he believed me when he said I had bigger things to do."  
"That's his prerogative as being obsessed with you. Did you speak to Minerva?"  
"Yeah, she gave us the all clear for tomorrow."  
"Fantastic.  I think we owe her one." I sigh with relief.  
"That we do. She needs a week off, so when this is all over, we can convince her to take one."  
"Sounds like a good idea."

Lily sits down next to me. "How has he been?" she asks in a whisper.  
"Quiet, he's only said a few words, though I've heard him sing to himself a couple of times."  
"He does know it's all going to be okay doesn't he?"  
"I think he's sceptical, I mean if this doesn't go okay, he's going on a one way trip back to the Caucasus with his 'favourite' people."  
Lily straightens up. "You should talk to him, properly. Remind him how much he means to you and how you wouldn't let him go."  
"Yet I was the one who agreed to the swap."  
"He would have agreed anyway. I've heard him talk about Andromeda, how much she means to him. He'd have made the choice you have."  
I sigh. "I'll talk to him. It's not the end of the world, and you're right. No way am I going to let that bastard take either of them."  
Lily laughs. "That's the spirit. Now, Pizza or Chinese?"

A half hour later, It's just Sirius and I in the apartment. Lily has left the apartment to go get the food.  
"You sure you didn't want Chinese?" I ask Sirius tentatively. He's sitting by the window, a book called _Fate and Destiny_ in his hands.  
"I'm sure." he says softly, not really paying attention.  
"Sirius, we need to talk."  
"Not now." he says, in that same soft tone, "I'm reading."  
"Then when?" I ask. It's pretty much the last chance now.  
Sirius takes a breath. "Tonight, I want you to come off the sofa and back into your room, with me."  
I look at him. His dark curls of hair fall before his face. He's in profile with the sunset, still reading the book.

The doorbell rings suddenly. "I'll get it." I say, standing. Opening the door I see... Tonks.  
"Hey..." I say, trying to sound pleasantly surprised, not nervous. I haven't seen or spoken to her since she kissed me.  
"Hi Remus, you're not busy at the moment are you?" she asks, sounding as nervous as I feel.  
"Kind of, but I can spare a minute or two."  
"Oh, thanks." I step outside and shut the door. "Look, about the whole thing with the, the kiss. I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to happen."  
"Tonks..." I take a deep breath, before continuing. "It's not you. I think you're lovely and fantastic all at the same time, but I haven't felt anything for a woman in years now. It couldn't work and anyway, I'm not at all right for you. You deserve someone fantastic, and whilst I'm fantastic and modest, that isn't me."  
Tonks looks at me, eyes wide, before hugging me. I can understand how she must feel. All I've said is true, and I know how broken she must feel since her mother died, but it's better to say no then to give false hope.  
The hug ends. "You know Tonks, you should really talk to Hagrid's son Harry. He's my age, and I think he thinks you're very pretty."  
Tonks laughs. "Really?"  
"Really. Now, if you don't mind, I've got things to do."  
"Of course, and thanks Remus, for being honest with me. It's not something you see as often anymore, and It means so much."  
"Take care Tonks."  
She turns and walks away, passing a returning Lily.  
"Why was Tonks up here?" she asks curiously.  
"It's a long story, now hurry up. I'm starving."

The clock chimes eleven in the city. I lift the covers and slide into bed. Sirius is already lying here. I shuffle close to him, eager to warm up.  
"Remus." he says quietly to the dark room.   
"Sirius." I reply, equally as quiet.  
"If, if tomorrow doesn't work..."  
"It will. Sirius, you are the moon to my earth, I refuse to let you contemplate leaving me. Andromeda too, she's not going."  
"But..."  
"We discussed the plan, and it will work. I refuse to let it not work."  
"If it doesn't, then I have to go. I can't let him take her."  
"I understand that, and will make sure the plan doesn't fail."  
"If it does, then tonight is my last night here, with you. I... I want you, it could be the only time..."  
"You have me, and always will." I whisper in his ear.

Sirius turns to face me, and I him. Our eyes find each others in the darkness. I bring his face towards mine and interlock our lips. The kiss starts slow, but it grows, fiercer and more passionate. He grasps at my head, pulling me closer, hungry for more. I just respond, pulling him closer, running my hands over his back, the muscles below my palms.

Sirius' hands skim the top of my boxers, roughly grabbing my hips, pulling me closer. I feel him, the warmth, and the hardness, all against my own. I moan at feeling him, as does he. His mouth against my throat, hands delving, exploring my body. His hands, so warm, clip the elastic of my boxers again, this time heading down. I gasp again, and his fervour intensifies.  
"You'd better hurry up, even at this rate I'll be done before you know it." I gasp.  
Sirius takes my words seriously, in a few swift motions losing both of our boxers. Snaking my hands down, I take him in my hands, moving up and down at the rate of my gasping breaths. Sirius moans, pushing into my hands. His hands fall to mine. Our panting breaths and moans fill the room. Sirius is still moaning so erotically, and his moans intensify as I slide down and take him in my mouth. His reaction keeps me going, if anything supplying the adrenaline to my body. It doesn't last long though, as Sirius pulls me up.  
"Give me a chance to make this last."  
"We'll have forever to make this last."  
"Then now... let's do it now."  
We sit up, still looking at each other. Everything's slow again, as Sirius turns and lies on his back, pulling me into him with his legs. I climb on his back, position myself and slowly move forward.  
  
Sirius audibly groans as I push further and further in.   
"I'll warn you, I can't contain myself for long." I groan in his ear, slowly picking up speed.  
"I'm nearly there." he groans back.  
I'm right, not a minute later, I fall onto Sirius, panting with him.  
We lay there together, not moving.  
"Sirius..." I half gasp half whisper.  
"Remus... I, I love you...." Sirius gasps back.  
I look him in the eyes, "now I can never let you go."


	8. Rentré

Sunlight is streaming into the room through the open window. A cold breeze streams into the room, causing me to shuffle closer to the source of warmth next to me. Remus is beautiful when he sleeps, his chest lightly rising and falling, his hair tousled and his arm over my shoulder.

I never want to move, which is what's going to make this even harder.

_A while later..._

I groan, stretching out my arms, reaching for Sirius.  
"Morning gorgeous," I whisper, blinking as sunlight streams through the window. Except he's not there.

I sit up, looking around. Sirius' half of the bed is empty and made, a cold cup of tea left on my bedside table with a note. _I'll always love you_ is written in Sirius' scrawl of writing. Jumping up and out of bed, I rush through the door into the hall. Sirius' coat and shoes are gone.  
"Lily!" I yell, my voice high.  
A minute later she burst's through her bedroom door in her pyjamas. "Remus? What is it!"  
"Sirius, he's not here. He left a note."  
Lily's eyes widen. "Grab your shoes and coat, give me two minutes. He must have gone to the airport." She turns and run's back into her room, I run for mine. I grab a pair of jeans and a shirt and put them on. Grabbing some shoes, I run out and pull them on as Lily comes through the door, somehow looking immaculate considering she's had 1 minute.  
"I have an idea!" she yells, pulling on her pumps. "Meet me downstairs."  
I tie my lace and dart after her, slamming and locking the door. Coming down, I see Lily outside, standing against something.

"Why did you get my bike?"  
"Well we're not going to walk are we. Get on and hurry up."  
"I can't Lily, not since-"  
"Remus, I know this was given to you by that complete bitch Marlene, but you're dream boyfriend is right now going to his doom. Get over yourself, man up, and get on the fucking bike."  
I'm stunned, but obey, and straddle the bike. Lily clambers on to the back and grabs my waist; the last person to do that was Marlene. No, Not important. I hit the ignition and speed off down the road, Lily clambering on behind me.

Across the streets, down the lanes, we speed between cars. I guess fate is on our side, as all the lights go green before us.  
"The airport, down that street!" Lily yells. I turn the corner, speeding down the road she indicates. We speed past a bewildered looking Minerva at the doors of Cosmos Coffee, across a cobbled street and back onto main roads.  Another hundred metres and we're at the airport, speeding into the car park.

I skid to a halt, and quickly chain the bike as Lily takes her helmet off.  
"Let's go!" I yell, running towards the entrance. I barge past the crowds of people and... now what? People swarm around us.  
"What now?" I mutter.  
"Look for his stupid hair."  
"Stupid?"  
"You know what I mean. Over there!" Lily yells, practically shoving aside a small child. I chase after her, overtake, and collide with Sirius.

"Remus? Lily? What are you doing here?"  
I punch him. "What do you think you complete moron, we're stopping you from doing something stupid."  
Sirius rights himself frantically. "Stupid, like saving a member of family? Is that stupid? The plan was never going to work, there was no way. I have to do this Remus."  
I grab his face and kiss him, deeply. "Just trust me, it's the shittiest plan ever I know but it will work."  
"Remus, you can't."  
"Remus, Sirius, they're here." Lily interrupts, gesturing over to the approaching man with Andromeda.

"Ready Sirius?" his father asks.  
"Where are your bodyguards?" I ask.  
"Why do you wish to know?" he snaps at me.  
"Idle curiosity."  
"They're getting my bags loaded on. You best get yours on too Sirius."  
"So they're not here?" I say. For the second time today, I floor a member of the Black family, and it's not even 12 am. "Andromeda, Sirius, Lily, run now." I yell, and dart for the entrance. Andromeda looks terrified but obliges, grabbing a stunned Sirius by the arm and pelting for the door. The crowd having heard the thunk of man falling on floor part before us, but no security comes and stops us.

Outside, I put Lily and Andromeda on my motorcycle. Giving Andromeda my helmet.  
"You know the place Lily, you'll be safe Andromeda."  
"Where will you and Sirius go?" she asks, looking terrified.  
"We'll see you; we gotta lose these assholes first." Sirius says, motioning over to his father's hired muscle.

I taught Lily how to drive my cycle, and the two of them speed off, round a corner and are out of sight in just a few seconds.  
"You ready?" I ask Sirius as I crack my knuckles.  
"Always."  
"You're not leaving me, not this time." I tell him. It's not a request, it's a command.  
"If you talk like that to me some more, then yes sir." Sirius grins.  
The two men are almost upon us when we charge. I take one, Sirius the other. Sirius' man falls back onto the ground, Sirius descending on him, a whirling dervish of punches. Mine staggers but pushes me back. Surprisingly expertly, I roll and end up back on my feet. I launch at him again, this time knocking him down. Sirius' has slumped, not moving, and Sirius kicks mine in the stomach winding him.  
"Let's go." I say. Sirius nods, and the two of us run, leaving one unconscious, the other winded.

With quite a lead on them, we snake through the streets, changing directions every now and then just in case. We arrive at a door in a wall. I knock thrice, and the door unlocks.  
"There you two are." Minerva says. "In, now."  
Sirius and I enter into the back stockroom, Minerva locking the door behind us.  
"Are they here?" Sirius asks.  
"Not yet, I heard them zoom past, so I guess they're taking a detour."  
"Shit." Sirius mutters.  
"It's fine, I know Lily. She'd have had a reason."

We wait for about 15 minutes. The shop is technically open, so Minerva pops in and out of the backroom while the two of us stay in here.  
"I don't understand all the secrecy, but you're safe here you know, so you can relax." she tells us, as she comes in holding two coffees.  
"Thank you." Sirius says, "My father is a powerful man, with money, lots of money, he'll have eyes everywhere."  
Just then, there are three knocks on the door. Minerva unbolts the bolts and turns the key. In come Lily and Andromeda. Sirius grabs Andromeda in a hug, and I grab Lily.  
"Where did you go?" We ask.  
"We had to hide your bike; there was a car I suspected following us."  
"So long as you're here now." I say.

We stay in the back room for a few hours. Sirius spends most of the time on the phone to a cousin of his about Andromeda and organising her journey out of Edinburgh. When he finally puts the phone down.  
"Remus, I need your bike. Andromeda, you're flying out of London Heathrow this afternoon, I've got to get you down there."  
He then turns to me. "I'm coming back, I remember what you said last night, and I'm holding you to it." Then his lips meet mine, and my heart lifts. He grabs me in a hug after, and whispers in my ear. "I'll see you tonight, and then we're having a week in bed."  
"I'll hold you to that." I tell him, laughing.  
"Lily, Minerva, thank you so much."  
"I'll lead you to the bike, then Remus, we can go home."  
"What if he comes after us, or them while we're gone?" Andromeda asks, still looking frightened.  
"They won't." Sirius says. "My father's not an idiot; he knows that we'll disappear and all emigrate probably, hence flying out of Glasgow. Now, let's go." He says.

An half hour later, Lily and I watch as they speed off and head for a motorway. This is going to be the longest wait of my life.

_That Evening..._

I was right.   
"Any word?" Lily asks, stepping out the bathroom wrapped in a towel.  
"No, nothing since he said Andromeda was safely in the air and he was driving back. His cousin Narcissa flew in and is on the plane with her to make sure she's safe. I think they're going to Brazil."  
"So long as she's safe and you can get your piece of ass back, then we're all fine."  
"I still haven't forgotten 'stupid hair' and he's more than that."  
"Save it for the romance novels. Now, I've got some chocolate, popcorn and a copy of White Chicks, how about that for an evening?"  
I turn to face her. "Sounds perfect."

I go to bed after the film. It feels empty without Sirius here, even though we were together for only one night. It's 1 am and I can't even sleep, all I can think about is whether or not he will get ba-  
There's a knock on the door.  
I rush out of my room, past a tired looking Lily who's emerged from hers and open the door.

There he stands, "I promised." he says, grinning cheekily.


	9. Rodolphus

Lily hung around with me and Sirius for a short while after he came back, before going back to bed. Sirius Clothes remained on him a very short amount of time longer than that.

That night, as the door to the bedroom slammed, and the two of us fell against the bed, wrapped in each other's arms and locked in each other's lips, I realised the many things I was thankful for. The main one at the time however, was Sirius' great butt.  And that morning, waking up tight in his arms, that's when I realised how much he means to me.

Sappy stuff aside, I have to work this morning, as does Lily, in return for Minerva pretty much hiding us all yesterday. Sirius isn't supposed to leave the house, just in case. I'd rather not risk it for a few days.  
"You'll be fine without us?" Lily asks, putting her purse and makeup bag into her handbag.  
"Yes Mum." Sirius replies, rolling his eyes.  
I pull on my coat and give him a quick kiss. "Be careful, and don't do anything stupid." I tell him, feigning a stern look, before following Lily out of the door.  
"Would I ever?" Sirius laughs as we disappear.  
"You don't want me to answer that." I call over my shoulder.

The air outside is cold and crisp, a sharp but slow breeze flowing through the city. The sun has broken through the clouds above, and the city is a alive with quiet sounds of everyday life. Lily and I link arms as customary, and walk the pavements.  
"How are you and Sirius?" Lily asks while we wait at a traffic light.  
"Good. I mean, It's still so recent, but I haven't been this happy in a long time."  
"I'll feign that I took no offense." Lily chuckles.  
"You know what I mean." I laugh along with her. "How's Sev?" I jokingly ask.  
She punches me in the shoulder. "Stop it. I have to do shifts with him now. Minerva wants more time off."  
"Well I'm sure Sev won't mind, he was probably ecstatic about it."  
"Ha Ha Ha." Lily mutters sarcastically.

It's a warm day, so being stuck in an even warmer coffee shop is complete hell. All of the regulars are in, and it feels like nothing's changed over the past few weeks since Sirius came into my life. Yet with Lily and Sirius beside me, I have never been happier.

Yet I didn't know then, that the man I was making coffee for would be one I would come to hate, to despise, to wish all the worst upon for what he would do.

He was handsome, a fact I will admit. Tall, dark of hair, features similar to that of Sirius. Voice smooth and sleek as peanut butter. I'd have been honoured if he asked for my number, not that I'd have given it to him. So it's no surprise that Lily was.

"How can I help you?"  she asked.  
"Viennese Coffee, Black, to go please Darlin'." he replied.  
"Sure. Remus, Viennese Coffee to go, black.  Can I have your name sir?"  
"On the condition that I can have your number." I heard him say as I busied myself with the machine.  
Lily giggled. "I don't give my number to a man without a name." she teased.

What on earth was I hearing? Uhh, straight people.

"It's Rodolphus. Is there one to go with your pretty face and number?"  
Lily must have thought he was really something special, as I heard phone tapping.  
I handed Lily his coffee and went to serve the next customer.

By the time I'd made three or four more coffees, I'd realised that Lily and this man were still talking. I coughed, aiming for the upmost subtlety in doing so. Lily gathered this.  
"Well Rodolphus, I really must be getting back to work."  
He looked disappointed. "Well, I don't want to distract you. I'll take you out for lunch though, yeah?"  
"I'd love it. City Centre at 1?"  
"I'll be there." He gave her a wink then left with his coffee.

"You seemed enthralled." I observed.  
"I, he just... I felt like you looked when Sirius came in."  
"So you're letting him take you on a date?"  
"Yeah, I mean, I felt something, and he clearly did, so why not? Please cover for me at 1 though, I'll try not to be too long."  
"Okay, but  just be careful okay?"  
She looked at me, eyebrows raised. "You need to tell me that, after the Sirius experience?"  
I chuckled. "I guess I don't, but promise you will."  
"I always am, don't worry."

I just smiled, though I wasn't comforted. Just the way he spoke, with an undertone of arrogance, or... I don't know, but It concerned me. It's not my place to judge, but the way Lily fell under his spell, it made me uncomfortable.

The shift ended a while later, and Lily left to go for lunch. I eyed the growing crowds outside, and decided to do it.  Not ten minutes later, my bike was parked outside and Sirius was tying on an apron.  
"I thought you didn't want me out the house?" He joked,  eyeing all the equipment around him.  
"That was before Lily got invited on a date, and I realised I'd need help. Now, I'll do all the running of machines, you just need to take the orders and bring people their stuff, okay?"  
"Yeah, okay. I warn you, I may put you out of a job." he started to joke, suddenly being startled as I let steam out of the steamer.  
"Yeah, I'm so scared." I laughed back.

Sirius took to it fairly well, only screwing up a  few times with orders.  
"You'll make a good Barista yet." I tell him, eyeing the clock. It's ten to five, so the evening shift starts in twenty. Lily certainly took her time.  
"Hasn't she texted or something?" Sirius asked, noting the growing concern on my face.  
I checked my phone, no new texts.  
"Nothing. I hope everything is okay." I say, worry evident in my voice.  
"I'm sure she's fine. She's probably having a great time, is in a cinema or some fancy restaurant being wined and dined."  
"Still, it's not like her to not say something or text."  
"She knows how to look after herself, so don't worry. Now, are we doing the evening shift?"  
"No, Minerva and Sev are covering it."  
"Then Lily has probably gone home. Give her a call, I'll put the stuff in the dishwasher, and we'll head home, okay?"

Except Lily didn't answer her phone, and wasn't at home. At about four in the morning, the door opened. Sirius and I were sitting on the sofa, as I tried to figure out what to do.  
"Lily!" I yelled, running to her. "Where were you."   
"Out." she said, blanking me, not even looking at me, walking straight past.  
"Why didn't you text me to let me know where you were?" I asked her back as she walked away.  
"I was busy with Rodolphus." she said over her shoulder slamming the door to her bedroom behind her.

"Rodolphus?" Sirius asked me.  
"Her date."  
"Rodolphus Lestrange?" Sirius asked again, now showing some sign of concern.  
"I don't know. Tall, dark haired, sexy voice yet somewhat creepy?"  
Sirius nodded. He rested his head in his hands.  
"We have a problem." he said into his palms.


	10. Absence

"Rodolphus..." Sirius sighed, "where to start."  
"Well you know him, and I'm guessing it's not good, so start with how you know him." I tell him.  
"Take a wild guess. It's where all the crazy stuff happens."  
"Your family." I say, darkly.  
"Bingo." Sirius shoots me a thumbs up, before continuing. "You've heard of cousin Narcissa right?"  
"The one who is looking after Andromeda?"  
"Yeah. Lovely women, married a bad guy. Her sister is Bellatrix, and the two could not be more opposite."  
"As in?" I ask.  
"Narcissa is lovely, if sometimes making foolish decisions such as with her marriage. Bellatrix is down-right insane." Sirius flicks through his phones photos and passes it to me. On the screen is an image of a wedding invitation.

  _You are cordially invited to the wedding of Bellatrix Black and Rodolphus Lestrage..._

"Christ." I tell him.  
"Christ exactly. Well, he won't be there for the wedding. It's coming up in a few weeks."  
"So he's got a fiancé and is seeing other women on the side."  
"Well the wedding wasn't their decision, mostly. But Rodolphus was an old friend of the family and to be honest is just a dick head. I doubt Bella cares if she does know, but he's been seeing other women since their first date."  
"We've got to tell Lily."  
"We can't. Rodolphus has this, this magic around him. And I hate to be a dick, but I can't have him disappearing."  
"Why not? If he's going to hurt Lily..." I say, my voice rising.  
"He won't. Not yet anyway. Just trust me, there's important business between the two of us. I'll keep Lily safe."  
I sigh. I don't like it, even though I trust Sirius. There is something off about Rodolphus, something dark. I'm not going to argue with him, not now anyway. It's been a long night.

Except when I wake in the morning, Sirius isn't in bed with me and no one else in the house. A scrawled note from Sirius tells me Lily received a call and went out, that he's certain it's Rodolphus and is shadowing her. She'll know, she's not an idiot.

I set about on my normal routine. Lily must have calmed down after last night, or I hope so. I try not to let the gnawing worrying feeling get to me as I pull my coat on, gulp down my tea and set out to go to work.

The two aren't there when I get back in the afternoon however. The worry grows, and I text Sirius.  
_'What on earth are you doing? Where are you?'  
_ I don't get a reply. I text Lily next.  
_'You not home? Remember you've got the afternoon shift. Text me so I know ur okay'_.  
After fifteen minutes of pacing, I finally get a text back. It's from Lily.  
_'Cover for me. Busy tonight, won't be home.'_  
Well shit.

I go out and take Lily's shift. Minerva looks surprised to see me.  
"No Lily?" she asks me as I set to work.  
"No, she's out somewhere and can't make this shift."  
"Where is she?" she asks.  
"I wish I knew." I said, looking out of the window.  
Rainclouds have covered Edinburgh since the grey skies of this morning. The trees lining the roads are waving in the strong winds. The pavements waver with rain splashes on the already soaking pavements.

It's not until four that I finally get a call from Sirius.  
"Minerva, I'm taking my break." I call out to her before walking into the back room.  
"Where the hell are you?" I snap then into my phone. "Where's Lily?"  
"I'm sorry I haven't texted. She's with Rodolphus and I've lost them." Sirius says back. I can hear the rain and traffic from his end.  
"She said she's not coming back tonight and not to wait up."  
"Shit." Sirius curses. Then he gasps. "I think I know how to find them."  
"How?"  
"I'll tell you when I see you. Where are you?"  
"Cosmos."  
"Be with you in a few then." Sirius says, hanging up.  
I'm left confused and honestly scared. Scared for Lily, and scared because of the sudden change in situation. I'm in the dark here and if Sirius is to be believed, Lily is at serious risk.

It is a few minutes later that Sirius comes into the shop, sits down at a table and pulls out his laptop. I'm back on the till so Minerva takes his order.  
"You can go now. It's afternoon, there isn't much to do." she tells me, eyeing Sirius.  
"Okay, thanks Minerva." I say. I remove my apron and go and sit down with Sirius.  
"Prepared to tell me what the hell you are doing now?"  
"Trying to gain access back into the family intranet. via proxy" he says tapping away.  
"Why?"  
"Rodolphus has a habit. He dates a woman for a week or two. Then... then they disappear."  
"What! Why didn't you tell me any of this? Lily is with him!" I almost yell before realising where we are.  
"It's fine, it's only been two days."  
"Fine! If she's in danger and I can't do anything because you want to play detective and she goes missing I will personally remove the appendages from your body one by one."  
"Remus, calm down. Nobody knows what he does with the woman, but whatever he does earns him a shit ton of money. Lily will be fine. We just can't let her leave the house again until she snaps out of this phase."

I sigh and let my head fall into the table. Sirius pats me on the back of the head before exclaiming, "I'm back in. Let me see what I can dig up."  
I look up at his screen. What's there is a complex system. "What is it?" I ask.  
"The e-mail on the family intranet. We all learnt how to get into the administrator account when we were younger, so we can see most of the e-mail."  
"How is e-mail going to help us with this."  
"It will. This is the log of the crimes my family have done. Whenever they illegally purchase something or pay off the police, it goes through here to the family accountant. A-ha." he exclaims again.  
"What?"  
"Rodolphus. It's an old e-mail for a recurring purchase from the pharmaceutical branch of the business. Something called _'Dark Magic'_."  
"What is it?" I ask.  
"No idea. He orders it in bulk though at a litre a month. Let me see what I can find."  
"I'll go get us another drink." I tell him, leaving him to his ferocious tapping.

It pains me that I don't know where Lily is. I should be out looking for her, or doing something at least. I bring over a couple of cokes from the fridge and sit down again with Sirius.  
"Black Magic. It's a drug. A mix of Imperius, otherwise known as LXN and another drug called Somno. It says so in the old emails."  
"What do they do."  
"Somno is a sleeping drug. Imperius I'm not sure about, though it's on the illegal side of the business." Sirius pauses. "as is Rodolphus' career."  
My heart beats quickly. "What is it?"  
"First just know it's fine, Rodolphus is enough of an idiot to get his Black magic home delivered. I have an address in the city."  
My heart beats faster. "Sirius, what is going to happen to Lily..."  
Sirius takes a breath. "Human trafficking, essentially slavery. And yes, that's what happens to the women. Remus stay calm. We can go rescue her."

I don't hear the end of his sentence. My heart is in my throat, I'm cold yet sweating. And I'm scared, but not just scared. I'm angry.

 


	11. Warehouse

It takes me a fair few minutes to speak. I'm stunned, shocked, furious, scared and full of rage all at the same time, an amount of emotions to feel at once I would have thought impossible.

That entire time, Sirius has be in his arms. "It's going to be okay." he whispers into my ear.

But will it? How can I sit here not knowing where Lily is but knowing full well that she's in danger. We've been best friends for a long time, I don't know what I'd do without her. She's always been there for me when I needed her. She was there with Sirius family before... And now it's time to repay her for that.

I make to stand up, Sirius seeing what I'm doing lets go and looks up at me.  
"Leave anything we don't need in a locker here. I'm going to get my jacket and bike. We'll go check out this address." I say, more calmly than I feel.  
Sirius just nods, closes his laptop and stands up. I head into the back room. I pick up my jacket and pull it on, take my keys out of my pocket and my phone from a locker. Sirius comes in and put's his laptop into the locker and shuts it.  
"You don't need it?" I ask him.  
"Got the info on my phone. You got everything?" Sirius replies.  
"Yep."

We make our way towards the front door of the shop. However before we get there, a cough stops us. Minerva stands behind the counter. "I don't know what you two boys are up to," she begins, somewhat sternly, "but you both best be careful." Sirius and I nod at her and make to go out. "One moment, Sirius." she says.

He comes over to her and she whispers something in his ear. He nods. "Yes ma'am. Will do." She gives him a knowing look, and then we're out. Climbing onto my bike, Sirius behind me, I ask him.  
"What did she say to you."  
"I'll tell you later."  
"No." I tell him seriously. "We don't keep secrets, you're my boyfriend. We're supposed to trust each other."  
"I'll tell you, I promise. But when this is over so you'll appreciate it more."  
"What the hell does that mean?" I ask him.  
"Just wait and see." He tells me. "Right, we need to head to the centre."

I kick the bike into life and we're off. Sirius gives me directions on each street. Once we reach the centre we head down a street, take a few lefts and rights and pull up outside of a rather grim looking apartment complex.   
"This is the place." Sirius says. "Room 128, which should be on floor 7."  
"Right." I say, clambering off the bike. I attach it to a nearby lamp post with a lock. "Should we need a key or card to get in?" I ask him.  
"Probably."  
"Right. Okay, we'll go in. There's probably a concierge or desk person. I'll distract them by asking about something, then you go and sneak the keys from..."  
"I was thinking we climb up the fire escape on the side and maybe break the door down."  Sirius interrupts me, pointing to the metal staircase at the far side of the building which scales up to the roof.  
"That works too." I say.

We walk round to the side of the building underneath the metal stairs.  
"There's no way up." I say.  
"Give me a leg up." Sirius says.   
I put out my hands and he steps into them. I pull upwards and he grabs hold of the bottom of the railing at the side of the stairs. He climbs up over the railings and fiddles around. I crane my neck trying to see what he's doing. Something clinks and an iron ladder slides down to the ground.  
"Thanks." I say, climbing up the ladder.  
"You're welcome." Sirius replies.  
We begin scaling the many sets of stairs, checking in the windows every now and again to see the room numbers.

"Here. Room 130." I call out to Sirius who's on the level below me. He comes running up the stairs. "The window's locked." I tell him.  
"We're gonna have to break it then." He says, looking at the window like it's a puzzle.  
"Okay. Well, I have a screwdriver I used to fix the machine at work somewhere." I rummage around in my jacket and pull it out. "Think this'll work?"  
"Maybe. Ready?" Sirius asks.  
"Okay, here we..." I began, and pull my arm back to swing at the window."  
"Wait!" Sirius says suddenly. I stop.  
A middle aged blonde woman had appeared from the room next to 130. She turns to lock her door and begins to walk down the haggard looking corridor. Sirius knocks on the window. The woman jumps, turns and see's us. She walks up to the window.  
"Yes?" she asks, her voice muffled through the window.  
"Hey. We got locked out of our floor window in a prank. We couldn't get back in this way could we?"  
"Sure." she unlocked the window. "You could have just gone in through the roof door, it's always unlocked."  
Sirius looks at me. "Right. Yeah, forgot about that one. Thanks a lot and have a good day."  
"No Problem." She says, turning and walking down the corridor and round the corner.  
"Well that was unnecessarily complicated." I say to Sirius, who nods. "Room 128 is just here."

The door is wooden with a haggard looking lock and an eyehole. Sirius eyes the door. "Hard to break down." he says. Suddenly, he starts patting his coat pockets. "Aha!" He pulls out a small box and opens it. Inside are some small metal instruments.  
"You can pick locks?" I ask him incredulously.  
"If you had the upbringing I had you'd want to know what was happening to. All the information was in my mother's study. I learned from Andromeda then, shortly before she escaped." he tells me.  
"I see. I'm impressed."  
"Give me a moment to concentrate." the lock clicks. "There we go. The fact that it's locked probably means nobody is in." Sirius looks up at me, smiles and pushes the door. It swings over revealing two beefy guys sitting on a sofa.  
"Or not." I say as both of their heads snap in our direction.

In the moment before anyone moves, I survey the room. In the corner on a table are some bags of a dark powder, a couple of small bottles of solution and some wads of money. So at least we're in the right place.

One of the guys stands up. "You're not supposed to be here. I'd advise that you leave, now."  
Sirius stares him straight in the eyes. "I'm just looking for some black magic."  
The man's eyes narrow. "Then why pick the lock?"  
"Just for fun." And Sirius tackles him faster than I can blink.   
He's on the floor, Sirius on top of him. The other guy on the sofa stands up but I launch myself onto him. I smack his head into the wooden arm of the sofa then push him onto the floor. He connects with a satisfying bumping sound. I see Sirius in the corner of my eye punch the other guy and headbutt him, so I make to kick my guy in the abdomen. He catches my foot however, and I trip, falling backwards to the floor. A flash of something by his belt as he stands up - a knife.

I begin to panic as he stands over me, one foot on my chest, the other on my wrist. He makes to draw the knife back in a wide arc. An arm grabs his before he can bring the knife down and twists his wrist. I hear a cracking sound and the man yell. It's Sirius, who then kicks the man in the balls and pushes him backwards into the wall with a thump.

Everything is then still for a moment, quiet but for the sound of the man sliding down the wall. Sirius extends a hand which I take, pulling me up. Turning, I see the first man lying unconscious on the floor, the second slumped by the door into the small bathroom.  
"Well that was a fun date." I say sarcastically to Sirius.  
He rolls his eyes. "You okay?" he asks, stroking my cheek with his hand.  
"I'm fine. I'll check the bedroom; see if anyone else is in. You check the bathroom."  
"Good plan."  
I head through one door, Sirius the other.  
"Clear." He yells.  
"Likewise." I reply. Inside the bedroom are two camp beds, a small table and a television. In the corner are some bags of substances, a couple of magazines and a few DVDs. On the table there's a small black tablet, which I pick up, and a piece of paper with a recipe scrawled on it.

"Nothing in the bathroom." Sirius says, coming in through the doorway.  
"I've found a tablet and there are a few bags of drug stuff over there." I tell him. Sirius goes over to check and I press the button on the tablet. Miraculously it unlocks, opening to a page of emails. "Sirius." I say.  
He comes over and looks at the screen. "Contacts, locations, local dealers and... there!" Sirius points at an email entitled 'Girls'. I tap on it and it opens.

 _To: jsto@blackindustries.mail.cc_  
From: rles@blackindustries.mail.cc  
\- cc: lmal@blackindustries.mail.cc  
Subject: Girls  
  
J,   
I've picked up a new girl. Redhead, goes by the name of Lily. Feisty and pretty, should fetch a pretty penny. I'll hold her with the other two at the safehouse until the buyers payment comes through, should be about midnight. As per usual, 15% goes to you and M. Keep producing, I'll need another few lb of b.m by tomorrow night.

 _RLeS._  
  
Email sent 2 hours ago. Encrypted - Do not directly reply.

Sirius scans the email.  
"RLes will be Rodolphus I'm guessing. I'd also guess that LMal would be Lucius Malfoy, an associate of the family."  
"That's great Sirius but we've hit a dead end. We don't know where this Safehouse is." I say, hearing the panic creeping back into my voice.  
"I can find out." Sirius pulls out his phone and a cable and connects the phone to the tablet. Tapping a few times, a progress bar appears on the tablet screen. "This should locate where Rodolphus sent the email."  
"How do you know this stuff?" I ask him. His affinity with technology surprises me.  
"I did train to work in the business till I was sixteen." he reminds me. "It's easy enough, they haven't changed the encryption system so provided you know the TLD you can track anything."  
"That was all just a jumble of words." I tell him.  
Under the progress bar suddenly appears a map which centres on  Queensferry. "It's just outside Edinburgh. We can get there." Sirius says. He taps on his phone a few more times and a pointer  appears pointing to a spot on the coast. Sirius takes a photo of the location then unplugs and picks up the tablet.  
"Best keep this." He fishes a phone out of the pocket of one of the guys in the other room and chucks it to me.  
"Call the police, tell them they'res a drug ring operating in the hotel you're in and give them the address and room number. The phone will likely be untraceable, but we can throw it in the sea just in case."

I do as Sirius says, informing the woman on the phone that I've seen suspicious activity from the hotel. She informs me they'll check it out and I hang up. "They know." I call out.  
Sirius, who has been moving between rooms picking up anything relevant or needed replies,  "Cool. Now lets get going. It'll take about twenty minutes." He pauses then picks up the knife from the floor. "For shock factor, in case it's needed." he assures me. I just nod, help him lift the two guys onto a bed each then leave, taking the key and locking the door behind me.

We take the fire escape stairs once again, dropping from the last level to the ground. I unlock my bike an Sirius climbs on behind me, holding my waist with one hand, looking at his phone with the other.  
"Ready?" I ask.  
"Yep, just follow my directions."  
The bike roars to life and we set off, heading through streets and out of the city. The traffic isn't excessive so we make good time, pulling up outside a warehouse on the coast a fair distance from the bridge.

We make towards the door, pausing before it. It looks abandoned. "They'll still be here; it's not yet ten o'clock. Just be ready, it may be a scrap." I nod. All I can think of is Lily in there. I don't care what happens. I'm going to get her out. And no one will get in my way.

I kick open the door, which swings open. Sirius and I dart in, looking around. The lights are on, but nobodies in here. Except, there is. In the corner. A girl sits up against the wall, dark hair cascading down in waves. She's wearing a night-out outfit, heels and a handbag. Yet when she looks up at up, there's nothing in her eyes. They're dead, blank, staring right through us. There are marks on her arms, needle holes smudged with a dark powder and a metal chain links her to the wall so she can't escape.

Looking around I see another girl, lying still on a bench, attached by a handcuff to it. Blonde hair identifies her as not-Lily.  
"Over there." Sirius points and whispers.   
I follow his finger and see a mass of Red hair and an all too familiar dress. Lily is bound to a metal girder in the wall, slumped and still. I run over to her and lift her hair from her face, then breathe a sigh of relief. She's fazed out, but breathing.

"Where's Rodolphus or anyone?" I ask Sirius quietly.  
He shrugs, scanning the room over and over. It's eerily quiet, the only sound being Sirius and I breathing. I stand up. "We've got to get her out." I say. "And these other girls too." I look at her bindings - rope knotted complicatedly. Sirius hands me the knife and I make to saw at the bindings.

Lily suddenly jolts upwards, gasping loudly. She's awake, looking around terribly, eyes settling on my face. "Remus... You can't be here. It's not safe!" she half stutters half gasps.   
"Lily, I'm going to get you out. It's okay,  Sirius is here, everything will be fine."  
"No, he can't be. It's not safe, Rodolphus... he planned this."  
A sinking feeling. "What?" Sirius says, running over to us.  
"Rodolphus, when he first put me... put me here. I overheard him talking as the drugs kicked in. They... They know you'd both come for me."  
"Shit." Sirius says under his breath. "Remus, we're not alone."   
My heart stops, and just as Lily's bindings come free, I hear it. All of us here are still, so it's not one of us.

The sound of footsteps.


	12. James

We don't move, and we barely breathe, our ears open to the sounds, the sounds of footsteps coming closer. It's as if the world has stopped around us, everything silent and still but the sound of incoming footsteps, closer and closer.

The door crashes open. In they come. Three of them. Dark suits, ties, and more worryingly, weapons. Two square up to us, one holding a bat, the other a small pistol.

I glance at Lily, and see she's raising her hands shakily. Remus is stone faced, hands by his side. Despite the stress, I'm doing my best to think logically. We can't win this that much is obvious, so I raise my hands also.

The third man has gone to check the other girls. One looks up at him, and struggles to get away. The ropes binding her hands pull taught, and he bears down on her. It's horrifying to watch, as he sticks a needle full of a dark liquid into her arms and pushes. Her head rolls back, and I see her eyes glaze over, an echo of the fear still etched in them.

Outside, a car pulls up. I can hear the tyres against the gravel, then another set of footsteps, and in he comes. He's just as I remember him, tall, scraggly and nothing like the security he brings with him, no suit, no tie, just jeans and a jacket.  
"Sirius!" he calls to me as he approaches. "How unexpected to find you here."  
I glare at him, and he just laughs.  
"Oh how happy they'll be when I drag you back. I know your father will be very pleased to see you." He walks into the gap between the two men facing us. "This girl, Lily, never my type. Doesn't give up too easily, likes a fight, not at all... submissive." He licks his lips, mouth in a broad smile. "Still, it was necessary to get to you of course, and it's always practise. They say my charm with the ladies is a form of magic you know." He grins.  
"Black magic maybe." I spit at him. "I still remember before you got Bella how you tried to drug Narcissa into getting with you. Even when you did, she still shot you down."  
His face hardens for a moment, but he shakes his head, laughing. "I had my difficulties, yes, but unlike you I go for something normal."

I glance at Remus and Lily. Her face is scared, but angry. Remus' fists are clenched, white as the full moon.  
"Because having to drug girls to get with them is normal." Remus says, his voice thick with anger. I'm gay and from what Sirius has said, I've had more luck than you. Pitiful." he says.

Rodolphus kicks at Remus' face, and I jump. Pulling the knife from my trousers I launch myself into Rodolphus, knocking him into the man with the gun. Their heads connect with a sickening crack and the latter falls to the ground. The goon with the bat makes to dash at me, but Lily get's there first. Rodolphus was right about her as she tackles bat goon into the wall, taking the bat and swinging it into his knees. Remus is even faster. As if he has all the fighting skill in the world, he launches himself at the third guy, who's only just turned around to see what was happening. From the sound of metal colliding against head, he's been slammed into the wall.

Rodolphus has regained his footing. I advance on him, fist and knife out. He pulls a small firearm from somewhere, but I'm faster, kicking his hand hard enough to make him drop it then pushing it with my foot under a nearby crate. His eyes widen, and I smack him in the face, forcing him to the ground. I raise my fist to hit him aga-

"SIRIUS" Lily yells.  
I turn, and see Remus staggering back away from the grunt he was attacking, clutching at his abdomen. As if in slow motion, I look up to the pained expression on his face, then down to the fabric of his shirt beginning to stain with red.

I stamp Rodolphus in the balls and run to Remus. He falls back against the wall and slides down. I kick the guy who stabbed him in the face, who looks just as shocked as Lily at stabbing Remus. He must have never done it; still his head collides with the wall again, courtesy of Lily, and he slumps down. I fall next to Remus and pick him up. He's conscious, but...

A CRASH!

My eyes are on the wound in Remus' torso. The blood is hot and slippery against my hands making it hard to hold the wound. Lily is beside me, looking towards where the sound came. But I don't hear a thing, nothing but his hastened breathing. He looks me in the eyes, and I look in his.  
"Sirius..." he whispers weakly.  
"Remus.... It'll... It'll be okay. I promise!" I tell him. His eyes move, focusing on something behind me. Arms around my chest are dragging me back.  
"No! Get off me! Remus!" I yell.  
A man passes into my field of vision, running to Remus.  
"Get off him!" I scream at him.  
He ignores me, kneeling at Remus' side, examining him.

The cold air strikes me as I'm dragged through the door. It hits me like a shock, causing my senses to jerk back into reality.  There's noise. Sirens. The sounds of yelling. A blanket is thrown around me by someone. I look up.

It's Lily.

~~~

"Shh Sirius." I tell him. "It'll be fine. They got here, the Police, I don't know how."  
He's shaking in my arms, wrapped in a blanket given to me by one of the police officers, the same one who ran inside to Remus.

An ambulance tears down the small road towards us, siren blazing. People stream out the second its stopped and sprint into the building. Police are bringing out the other girls who were in there with us. One is unconscious, the other can barely stand, drinking water hesitantly.

I crane my neck to get a better look at what's going on. There's a mass of people around where Remus was, at least four paramedics and the police officer.

Ten minutes passes as Sirius and I sit together, until someone finally approaches us. It's the policeman.  
"I hope you both are doin' okay." he says, kneeling opposite us. "I've got the sergeant brewing up some tea for you both."  
"Much appreciated." I say, still shakily to him.  
"Now, don't worry about your friend. He's in a stable condition, and will definitely be alright."  
I breathe a sigh of relief, but Sirius speaks up.  
"Can we see him now then?" he asks weakly.  
The man hesitates. "Give him an hour or so, they're getting him to hospital. Once he's had some time to get over the trauma, then I'll see what I can do."  
"Thank you." I tell him.  
He shifts a bit. "My pleasure madam. Now, to the gritty bit. As a scene to come onto, three-four men on the floor, another stabbed, you two huddled by him, a few spaced out girls around. We need to know what happened."  
My heart sinks a bit. "The man, one of them, with the beard..." I begin.  
"Rodolphus Lestrange, we know that much."  
"Yeah, good. The others are his minions. I... no, We were there trying to rescue those girls. I knew one of them, or I thought, she wasn't there, but we tried to free them. Then they came in, and we defended ourselves until Remus... Remus got stabbed."  
The policeman nods at me. "Thanks  miss, that's a real help. Now, I'll get you that tea, and you can both calm and we can talk more once you've seen Remus." he says, smiling.  
"Thank you." Sirius and I say.  
"Don't thank me, It's my job and before that, basic human decency to help others."  
"Still, thank you officer..." I begin.  
His eyes twinkle as he smiles at me. "Potter. Officer James Potter at your service. Now, how about that tea."

He stands and walks off, yelling to another officer who's busying himself with a kettle of some sort.  
"Why didn't you say that he drugged you too." Sirius asks me.  
"It wasn't important."  
"Wasn't important?" he asks incredulously, though still keeping his voice low, "it's the reason we were here."  
"It wasn't, it's not like this guy will get off free anyway." I say, turning away from him.

 

She's ashamed. I could see it in her eyes. She doesn't make eye contact while we sip our tea, in the back of the officers car to the hospital or in the waiting room outside the room Remus is in. She feels guilty, because if she hadn't have gotten caught up in this, Remus wouldn't be this way.

I put my arm over her shoulder and pull her in close for a hug. She sniffs, tears beginning to well in her eyes.  
"Don't." I tell her softly. "There's no reason to cry, everything will be alright."  
Hopefully it brings her some comfort though I don't necessarily believe myself saying that. I lean back in the chair slightly, as the clock chimes the hour. It was a long day.


	13. Hope

Remus was discharged from the hospital a week and a half later. He still wasn't in a great shape - the student nurse at the hospital who looked after him had told me it would take months before he was completely back to normal. As ever, he put on a brave face throughout it all and was back working at the coffee shop. Soon enough, Christmas decorations began springing up for sale in shops, snow began falling on a more regular basis and the temperature dropped.

"I always loved Edinburgh at this time of year." Remus said to me one evening on the way back from work. "It's bloody freezing but the city just looks so at peace with itself."  
I hummed in agreement. The buildings all around has a dusting of white snow on them, and since the nights had begun to draw in earlier, a large moon hung in the sky, white as the cold surroundings.  
Reaching out, I took Remus' gloved hand in mine. "How long have we known each other?" I asked.  
He considered the question for a moment. "God I don't even know. It feels like barely any time, but also like forever." He paused again. "I can remember it all though, that first day in the coffee shop, me helping you with your dissertation, our dates afterwards."  
"I should bloody well hope you remember." I laugh, "And you essentially wrote my dissertation for me. You're the only reason I'll pass it."  
"The ideas were there, I just put them together."  
"Stop being so modest Remus."  
"Make me."   
So I do, the only way I know how. "Your lips are cold." I mutter against his mouth."  
"Shut up and kiss me."  
Even now, after all this time, making out with him still makes me giddy to my stomach. Breaking the contact, I take his hand again and we continue walking.  
"You're right though." I tell him. "The city is beautiful."  
"The moon is too. I've always liked the moon. When I was at primary school we used to have this astronomy class, and we all had nicknames based off of the planets. They called me Moony."  
"That's really cute. I'm calling you Moony now."  
He nods. "I haven't told anyone that. I got sick that year and had to leave the school afterwards."

"You got sick?" I ask. He's never brought this up with me before.  
"Have I never told you?" He says. "When I was about seven years old, a stray dog bit me on the arm. My parents took me to the doctors who checked it out. At first they just gave me vaccines for the standard possibilities, like Tetanus, but a couple of weeks later it flared up. I started running a fever, convulsing, vomiting, you name it I did it. And they couldn't figure it out. I spent about three months straight in hospital while they ran tests."  
He stops, and sits down at a bench. "Can we rest, I'm feeling sore." Moony asks, indicating at where, underneath his clothes, I know the bandages are.   
"Of course." I sit down with him on the cold bench.  
"In the end, they just let me out of the hospital on this experimental drug. It worked about 75% of the time, so it really just hit me hard every four or so weeks. And it carried on like that, all the way through secondary school. It only stopped around my third year of university. It was painful, and those few days where it hit me where the worst days of my life. At times I contemplated just ending it all, the pain was that  bad, but I persevered on through the few days and I would be fine."  
"How did it stop?" I asked.  
"I don't think it did. My body just got more and more tolerant of it, and I stopped noticing the symptoms. I still get bad days sometimes, but they are few and far between."  
I sit back, processing what he just told me.  
"Come on Sirius, Lily will be wondering where we've got to." he says. I help him up, and take his hand again.  
"I'll make you some tea once we get back in." I promise.  
"You better. Or you're not getting any tonight."  
"Neither of us are getting any until you've recovered more. You're still too... fragile."  
He laughs. "Me? Fragile? Sirius I took a gunshot and lived through some sickness that some of the world's best doctors couldn't figure out."  
"No sex."  
"But..."  
"No."  
He sighs.  "I don't deserve this."  
"No you don't but I'm not going to let you get hurt again."  
He puts his arm around me side and pulls me in. "Then as soon as I'm well enough we're not leaving that bedroom for a good few days."  
I chuckle, "I bet Lily would love that."  
"Totally. Well, she can't complain anymore, not with 'Officer James' on the scene." He giggles.  
"I know right."

Turning the last corner we approach the apartment building. We have to use the side-door as nobody is on the desk at this time. The warmth hits us like a wall when we finally get into the flat.  
"Tea." Moony says to me.  
"Right away." I reply. "Lily! Want a tea?" I yell out.  
She comes out of her room and sits down on the sofa. "Please. How was work?"  
"Busy as usual." Remus says. "Minerva's all fussy because Sev's having to take less shifts, so Sirius is pretty much working overtime there now."  
"We told you it'd only be so long and you'd have literally all the shifts." Lily said.  
"I believed you when you told me. It was very kind of Minerva to give me the job though."  
"She could see we needed it." Remus replied. "Plus you covered my shifts and we owed her one anyway."  
"Anyway, you boys are back late. Better have been behaving yourselves."  
"We stopped off for story time with Remus and at the Bookshop on the mains street." Remus explains. "And we had a look at that camera shop. I still really want that camera. You know the one I showed you."  
"I do." she said. "Well Christmas is coming up so if you're lucky it'll turn up somewhere in a couple of months."  
"I don't think so, it sold a couple of days ago to a dealer down south the manager said." he said, sounding quite dejected.   
"Well then we'll have to find another one."  
"No, no, it's not worth the hassle."  
"Pfft. If Moony wants it, he'll have it." I told him.  
Lily glanced over at me, a knowing look in her eyes. I'd bought the camera, obviously, as a surprise present for Remus.

"Either way, I'm down with my mother remember?" he said.  
"She should come up here." I suggested. "There's probably room to accommodate her up here and you're not in the best state for travel."  
"I, uh, I don't know how she'd react to the whole gay thing."   
"Then Sirius is my boyfriend from when she gets here." Lily said.   
"But..."  
"Remus, Sirius and I have been planning this. We want a nice Christmas all together. My family aren't in the country, and I doubt Sirius wants to see much of his. Go on, invite her up."  
"Okay I'll ask her. She's never actually visited me up here, so it'll be a nice change."

Remus called her that evening, and she accepted. And on December 23rd, we picked her up at the airport.  
"Mum!" Remus called out, running to hug her. "Not too tight please, you remember." he said after a moment.  
She let him go. "Bloody Edinburgh Police, letting the crime get out again. Lyall always used to complain whenever he came back from here on business." She looked past Remus to Lily and I who were standing not far behind. "Lily Evans, looking gorgeous as ever." she said brightly, then looked me up and down.  
"Sirius Black Mrs Lupin." I introduced myself in my most gentlemanly voice with my most dashing smile. "May I take your bags?"  
"Sirius is Lily's boyfriend."  Moony quickly explained.  
"You got a gentleman, that much is clear." Remus' mother said. "Hope Lupin dear." She said shaking my hand. "Lovely to meet you."  
"The pleasure is all mine Mrs Lupin." I said, shaking her hand then picking up her bags.  
"Please, call me Hope. I can't stand surnames, such formality."

We walked her back to the apartment. Everything had been set out - Lily and I having brought in the Christmas tree the day before, Remus having decorated it.   
"Remus, you're apartment is clean!" Hope said emphatically. She turned to me and Lily. "Nothing like his room at home, you could never see the floor for the mess."  
"Mum!"  
"Remus, it's a mothers job to embarrass her children."  
"Can I make you a cup of tea Hope?" Lily asked.  
"That'd be lovely. "  
"I'll take your bags to your room." I said, carrying the two suitcases into what was Remus' room. We had decided to put Remus into Lily's room, due to his injury, with her while I would sleep on a camp-bed in the corridor.  
"Lily, you certainly nabbed a good one. Handsome too." Hope said.  
"Mother..."  
She just laughed. "Now, how is work going, tell me everything."  
We just sat in the living area with her talking for a good hour or so. Lily told Hope that she and I had been together for a few months and had met at work.  
"So you're all in that coffee shop?" she asked.  
We all nodded. "Minerva treats us nice, the pay is alright and the stress is relatively low." Remus told her.  
"I remember when you wanted to be a photographer when you were younger." she said.   
"Did you?" I asked Remus.  
"Yeah, I did." he said. "It's one reason why I wanted that camera. My secondary school didn't run Photography as a course, so I did Film and Media at Uni."  
"He was talented. He used to use Lyall's old Polaroid camera to take photos. He had the right eye, even when he was that young." Hope tells us. She pulls out her purse, opens it, removes a photo and hands it to us.

The photo is dated at Christmas fifteen years ago down in the corner. It's an old Polaroid shot, showing a man who looks just like Moony now and a much younger Hope. They're sitting by a Christmas tree talking, obviously unaware the photo was being taken. Even on such an old photo, the lighting is perfectly placed, the profiles of the faces clearly capturing the moment.

"I still carry that photo to this day. It was one of the first he took, and I just couldn't let it go."   
"Remus, this is amazing." Lily says, still examining the photo.  
"It was a fluke."  
"I have the other photos Remus. I kept all of them, your photos are no fluke." Hope says. "I still think you should do photography professionally. A new year is coming up, you should have a new start."  
"I agree Remus." I say. "This is incredible."  
Remus mutters something, then stands and goes to get some more tea. We chat for the rest of the evening, Hope telling us all about Remus when he was younger, his father, everything. Lily and I listen intently to her every word. Only when the clock chimes twelve do we stop, all retiring to our beds for the night.

The next day, Lily and I head off for work, leaving Remus and his mother time for a good catch-up. On the way back that evening, we stop off at a shop to get some fancy wine. On our return to the flat, we're met by the smells of cooking.  
"You're back!" Hope says, greeting us at the door. "I figured you all might be hungry so I made up some food. It's just a curry and some sides."  
"Smells incredible" we both say. We sit down to supper as a group, eating the delicious food and sipping at the expensive wine. Hope asks me a fair bit about myself, my family and such. I respond, telling her my family were not good people, and how this is the nicest Christmas Eve I've ever had. The conversation then turns to Lily, who clearly had known Hope for quite some time. They even had in-jokes, which neither Remus nor I got the punch lines for but had both women laughing.

We continue to drink past supper and into the evening, watching the Vicar of Dibley on the small television in the flat. Hope bids us goodnight after a couple of episodes, retiring to bed. Lily does soon after, leaving Remus and I together.  
"Did you mean it?" he asks me. "Is this your best Christmas eve?"  
"Of course. None of my bad family are around, and I'm not alone. Of course it is."  
"My mother thinks your great you know. She says she's glad Lily found a good guy."  
I lean in to his ear. "If only she knew." I whispered.  
He chuckled. "True, you're building up one hell of a rapport for later when the truth inevitably comes out."

I give him a cheeky kiss and settle down in the camp-bed while he retires to Lily's room. Sleep evades me however, as I stare at the ceiling of the flat, listening to the ticking of the clock. After some time I sit up, intent on making a hot chocolate, when the door to Remus' room opens. Hope comes out.   
"I see you're still up." she says.  
"I can't sleep." I reply.   
"Me neither." she says.   
"Hot chocolate?"  
"Please."  
A few moments pass in silence as I pour the milk out and heat it up. Once it's made, she sips at her mug, leaning against the counter. I lean against the wall warming my hands against the mug.  
Hope breaks the silence first. "I'm aware of you and my son."  
"How?"   
"How do you think?" She asks. "I'm his mother I was aware of his orientation long before he was."  
"I guess I should have expected that."  
"Plus it's incredibly obvious." she says. "The way he looks at you, talks about you, and tonight at supper I realised it's the same with you to him. You make him happy."  
"I do try."  
"It clearly works. He's happier than I last saw him."  
She pauses.   
"I know you won't, but break his heart and I swear on Lyall's grave that it will not end well for you."  
Silence, then we both chuckle. "I wasn't intending on it, but now I will be extra careful."  
"Good." she says. She looks out the window for a moment. "The photo I showed you was also on Christmas Eve. It was the night Lyall died."  
Oh. "That's why you can't sleep?"  
She nods. "He went out to the church that night for evening mass. He never came back, his bike skidded off a bridge with the ice and he drowned." She says, calmly. "I can never sleep on Christmas Eve nights since."  
"I know the feeling." I say. "A cousin of mine committed suicide three years ago today."  
"I'm sorry for your loss."  
"She was a lovely girl. One of the nicest of my family."  
"Like you then?" she says.  
"I aspire to be like her. She was kind, generous, all the things my family isn't."  
She takes a sip from her mug. "I assure you that you are all those things. Remus is like Lyall in the same sense. I first met Lyall through a boyfriend of his you know. Lyall was arty, fearless. He put up with a lot but smiled through it all. I fell in love on the spot."  
She tipped her mug up and finished the contents. "Be as public as you want with my son with me around. He's nervous about it, I can tell, and he'd appreciate the comfort of knowing I'm fine with it." she said. She then turned and returned to her room, only stopping to tell me, "Goodnight Sirius."  
"Goodnight Hope." I called back quietly.

The next morning soon dawned and I managed some sleep. Sunlight burst through the windows, waking me early. I set about, as quietly as possible, moving presents under the tree, setting out the table, etc. Once the clock struck eight, I started cooking, knowing the smells would wake Lily up quickly. Right on cue, once the bacon was in the pan, she emerged from the room, tying her hair up into a ponytail.  
"Merry Christmas!" She beamed at me.  
"Merry Christmas Lily. I have to tell you something."  
I filled her in on everything that happened last night, all the while flipping bacon, cooking pancakes and making tea. Lily busied herself putting Croissants in the oven and adding her own presents to the pile under the tree.  
"You have to do something cheesy!" Lily told me. "Like stick a bow in your hair, tell him that you are a present to him then kiss him."  
"But he'll flip."  
"It'll be perfect."  
"No... I have a better idea." I tell her, with a wicked smile.

**~~~ To Be Continued ~~~**


	14. This Time

That morning, we ate our stomachs full of croissants, bacon and pancakes, exchanging pleasantries with each other and sharing in the Christmas cheer.

"I don't know how I'll be able to eat lunch after this!" Hope said, laughing merrily.

"You'll have to manage it somehow. Minerva, our boss from work, cooks one mean lunch" Remus told her.

Lily then explained that they had Christmas lunch together last year and had agreed to again. "Minerva loves to do the cooking. The turkey is absolutely incredible." she said.

"In that case, I'm going to go for a walk around Edinburgh to try and burn some of it off." Remus says.

"Mind if I come too?" I ask.

"Yeah me too!" Lily says.

"Nah please, I'd love the company." he says. "Mum?"

"Not for me darling. I need to call your aunts, let them know what's happening, wish them Merry Christmas and the like."

We set out of the apartment block soon after. The air was crisp but pleasant, and the sun shone down on us as we entered the main city. We toured some of the sights, for the city was quieter than usual, most people staying in for Christmas. The only other people we saw were others clearly walking a hefty breakfast off. We took a break up at the castle and sat down. Lily produced a thermos of tea and we took turns sipping the hot sweet liquid.

"Sirius." Remus says.

"Yes Moony?" I reply.

"Can we get a dog?"

"A dog? Where has this come from?" I ask him.

"I don't know, maybe it was from walking past the Greyfriars Bobby, but it struck me that I'd quite like a dog."

"I guess we can get a dog."

"And I don't know if it's a soft subject. But, you've met my mother, you live with us now, and we're probably getting a dog together, so I'd say we are quite serious now. I'd like to know what you could never tell me before, about how you came to be here."

My chest tightens slightly. "It's a long story."

"We have time. It's just, you now know so much about me from Mum's embarrassing stories. And..."

"It's okay. I'll start. Are you sitting comfortably?"

**~~~ Two Years Ago ~~~**

The sun rose early that December morning. I hadn't slept at all, but I didn't feel tired. There was a tightness in my chest, because tonight was the night, _the_ night.

The final straw had been the dog. A stray, black and shaggy, hair wet and matted with dirt had scratched at the door one night. As my room was on the ground floor, I naturally went to see what the scratching and whining was. I had always wanted a dog, and now here one was. Checking it, I found no collar.

"Someone must be missing you." I said to him, giving it a scratch behind the ear.

 He bent his head towards my hand, leaning in to the scratch. Sitting up, I took a towel from the nearby airing cupboard and began to rub the dog down. This he enjoyed immensely, rolling around so I could get the wet of its tummy. Next, I went to the kitchen to get some form of left over for the dog to eat. The sounds of footsteps behind me told me I was being followed. Stopping at the fridge, I turned to look at the dog, standing there, wagging  his tail excitedly.

 _There's no way I can put this dog out back in the rain_. I had always wanted a dog, and mother and father always gave us something we wanted at Christmas. I made up my mind, I would ask them if I could keep the dog.

"Come on boy." I said, leaning down to pat him. "You can sleep in my room."

 

Up to this point in my life, I knew enough about my family to know they were a bad bunch. It was not uncommon to see men with bodyguards holding guns go into my father's study, or to hear my mother speaking of not-so-legal matters on one of her many phones. Perhaps it was my naivety talking, but deep down I believed they were good people, simply ones who did the dirty work to provide for the family.

There were times however where I had my doubts. My brother's first girlfriend who he had to stay over for the night was attacked by my mother the morning after. Thrown out of the house, my mother warned him never to see another girl again, for he was to be married off to somebody else. And we never saw her again, for the land they and a few hundred others was quickly bought up and they were forced to move away.

Then there was the case of cousin Iola, who eloped with another woman. She died a few months later, having spent some time in poverty. I saw the papers in father's study, the ones cutting her off from all the funds of the family.

There were many more, crimes ran through the family like blood. When we all got together there would be talk of others - assault, laundering, fraud and even murder. One great Uncle was said to be involved in human trafficking.

The dog was the last straw however. It takes a being of pure hate to hurt something so happy and pure and generally loving. When the rest of the family rose, the dog was quickly discovered. I pleaded with them, I really did, to let me keep the dog. But they refused, for it was not something of pedigree and class, and was a mangy animal. Dejected, I said I'd take it for a walk, and would let it go. I emerged not ten minutes later, to find them abusing the poor thing. It stood there, wimping, as they kicked it, threw things at it, hurt it. They pushed it outside, and my father went for the shotgun.

I knew I had to act fast - the world of my parents apparent kindness crashing down around me. All I had on was a coat, my clothes, my phone and my wallet which contained family bank cards, Id and the like. Hoisting the dog into my arms, I left the house, my mother screaming after me. I made up my mind then, without hesitation, and left the family. I kicked open the gate, carried the whining dog through and kicked it shut again.

At the time, we were at the Australia Winter Holiday house, only about half a mile from the outskirts of Perth. I carried the dog there, the whole way. It was bleeding, and after some time the blood had soaked through my clothes enough that I could feel it against my skin.

I knew from many excursions from the family house that there was a small vets on the outskirts of Perth. I took the dog here, and due to his wounds the vet took him in right away. I stood by the table anxiously as they examined him, stemmed the flow and applied stitching and bandaging to the badly affected areas. The vet there asked me about what had happened, to which I told him that I came across the animal injured on the road after I had left home.

He kindly let me leave the dog there, and my first stop was into a bank. There, I asked to speak with a friend of my mother's - a young, short lady who my mother had deemed easily corruptible. Flashing my best smile, I managed to convince her to set me up a new account and discreetly transfer a lot of money into the new account which I would use in emergencies. I also got her to transfer my own money into a new account and close the old one. My mother had been right about her, because with a bit of flirting it was easy to convince her what to do and not to tell anyone - clearly some form of a family trait I had from my parents.

Returning to the vet, I sat outside until they closed and they let the dog out. The vet stepped outside with me and the dog.

"Are you going to take him home." he asked me, curiously.

My mind whirled as I figured out what story to give him, and in the end I simply told him I had been kicked out of my home.

He smiled at me, patting my shoulder with his hand. "I have a spare room, and some food for the dog here."

Too tired to argue, I accepted his offer. That night, the vet gave me some wine, and we chatted while the dog and his dog played in the kitchen. He was a widower, his young daughter sleeping in the room across the hall. And that night, another man took me for the very first time. I had never had a gay experience before in my life, never even thought of it, either by chance or because I subconsciously knew the consequences of homosexuality in my family. The vet not only lay me down, toyed with me, then with a single thrust eliminated the shadow of heterosexuality I lived under, but he made me realise that all people are not so bad.

We had sex three times that night, each time better than the last. This was a new world that I was glad to explore, one of pleasure and of slight pain, but one of enjoyment and lust. I left him that morning in bed, changed silently. He had told me his daughter loved dogs, so that was where I left the dog. He would not have been happy travelling with me, and I couldn't give him the love he deserved. Leaving a plentiful amount of money on the kitchen table with a note, I set out from the house.

I trekked across Perth that day, ending up in a hotel for the evening. I seduced a rather attractive Italian in the hotel bar. Long after he went to sleep, I rose, and left the hotel. Tonight was the night.

My family would be flying back home after Christmas. I picked a destination off the board, an afternoon flight to Edinburgh in the U.K. and waited in the hotel lounge. I ate a modest lunch at one of the chain restaurants in the departures lounge and boarded my flight a few hours later. I slept through most of it for I was exhausted, and woke as the descent began.

The air was cold as I stepped out the plane, and hit me like a wall. It was a pleasant change from the previous heat of Perth, and I liked it immediately. A new set of scenery, for a new Sirius Black.

From here, the rest is quite short. I had qualifications, so enrolled to do a master's at Edinburgh university in Film. I picked it as something I could pick up relatively quickly, even though I had a fair amount of stored money from my family I wanted to live independently. I had always been good with arithmetic, so got a job doing accounts at a firm owned by a guy I met in one of the pubs. It earned me enough money survive, living in a small flatshare on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

**~~~ Present ~~~**

"So that how you came to be here" Lily states.

"Well, the recent events from it anyway." I reply. "I mean, there's a whole lot of fucked up history in my family I could go on and on about. The dog was just the bit that pissed me off."

"Understandable, what kind of asshole do you have to be to hurt a dog." she replied. "You could have cut out the gay sex, I mean I love you guys but that's not for my ears thanks."

Remus and I both laugh. "We both know what you're ears want to hear, and those sounds come from one Officer James Potter."

"Shut up!" Lily laughs back. "I don't want to hear any more about James. I've only seen him a couple of times."

"You put out though."

"Remus! How did you know? How dare you!"

"Chill Lily, it was a guess. Though you did prove me right." he giggles.

"And how long did it take you two." she says, giving us both a look. We turn and look each other in the eyes, before replying in unison.

"You said it wasn't for your ears."

Despite the small downer of my story, we all had high spirits on the walk back. My nerves were beginning to get to me though as the time drew nearer.

The snow began to fall as we reached the appartment.

"Uh, Remus, can I talk to you about something out here for a second."

"Yeah sure."

Lily took the opportunity to head inside, but a moment later I can see her at one of the windows, watching us.

I take Remus' hands in my own. "I just wanted to say that, well, I feel like I've known you forever. It could only have been minutes, or a few chapters of a book, but I love you more than anything I ever have. You complete me."

"Sirius, what are you doing." he eyes me suspiciously.

"I'm sorry, I'm awful at this. I'll just show you." I pull out the small box I've had on me for weeks, waiting for the right opportunity. Remus' eyes widen as everything I've said fully clicks into place.

"Remus, will you..." I began to ask, falling to one knee.

"Of course I bloody will." He interrupts me, yanking me back up and into the tightest embrace, his lips finding, hot against the cold of the snow and the world and the outdoors. A moment, or maybe a year passes, before we pull apart. "Sorry." he says sheepishly, "I should probably have let you finish that. Got a bit excited there."

I cough and resume. "Remus, will you make me the happiest man alive, by marrying me?"

He nods excitedly and I can hear the faint sound of Lily clapping and cheering from the nearby window.

"I wasn't finished." I tell him, holding up a finger to silence whatever he was going to say. "I want you to be my everything, from my husband to my basic bitch."

"No." he tells me, laughing, "You're my basic bitch."

That exact moment, Lily comes running out the doors again, slips on the stairs and falls head first into the snow.

"Either way, you're mine." he tells me, kissing me again. He stops however. "What am I supposed to do, my mother is here."

"Tell her?" A muffle comes from the nearest snow Dune and as a now white haired Lily emerges.

 

                                                                                                                                             l

"Whatever you do, I'm there with you." I tell him, taking his hand and leading him to the room, dragging Lily by the arm along the way.

I march us into the apartment, still hand in hand with Remus. Hope is there, waiting for us in the kitchen.

Remus instantly plucks up his courage from somewhere (preferably my hand in his) and opens his mouth to speak.

"Remus I know, and I'm guessing you said yes. Congratulations you both." she says, running over to pull us into a hug.

"You Know?!?!" Remus yells incredulously in his mother's embrace.

"Of course I know, I'm your mother. Though I probably should have let you tell me, got a bit excited there." she says, beaming at him.

 _Like mother, like son_ is all I can think, my arm around Lily's waist as we watch Remus and his mum.

"Now, I know there's celebrations to be had, but can't we get some lunch first." Lily says, to which we all hurrah in agreement. And one huge lunch and present opening session later, we're sat around the fire opening the last of the presents.

Remus gasps at the camera in his hands, to which he can't stop thanking me and blushing like a schoolgirl. "I thought we weren't going all out. Christ!"

"I'll love whatever you've got me I promise. Unless it's extra shifts at the coffee shop like Minerva has already given me." I tell him, carefully tearing the wrapping paper off the present.

It's a sketchbook, the front page of which has the words _Remus and Sirius_ etched across it in golden ink. Flipping through, I see that it's photographs. Some I'm aware of, other's I'm not, but all of them are us together, ranging from ones Lily took when she watched us first meet in the coffee shop to shots outside the warehouse where we found Lily.

As I'm flicking through, Lily takes the book off me and makes an addition to a page in the middle of the book. It's the last filled page, and on it is a large collage of four photographs of Remus and I standing in the Snow. One has us hand in hand, the next me down on my knees, the third a tight embrace and the fourth us laughing together with Lily clearly visible falling face-first into the snow.

"Remus, this is..."

"It's not full." He says, which I had noticed. "Because there's so much more to fill in." and with that he chucks me a small box, different to the one I gave him, but it's contents and meaning are clear.

Remus twiddles his ring on his finger. "Because Sirius, if there is one thing I will never forgive you for, it's for beating me to the punch. You got there with the romance first, well, This Time anyway."


	15. Epilogue

They say that once you've found the one, you never look back. And I haven't, not to Marlene or any of the others who've hurt me.

Sirius and I, well, we've been together for the better part of two decades now, and the need I feel for him, the want, the love, it hasn't dimmed at all. Not since the first time we met all those years ago. And that bliss that I felt when he went down on one knee has never left me, and the passion we feel when we spend our nights together is still as strong as it was that night.

Because, this time, I know that I've fallen in love. Everytime I close my eyes, I feel him there with me, and I'm not alone. This Time, it was for real.

~~~

Hope had decided not to stay the night, instead staying with another of her friends in Edinburgh for the night. Lily had already scheduled a party for the 27th, though rather annoyingly it was in Cosmos Coffee, and managed to convince Sirius to invite his true family, to which he had responded with something cheesy about how I was his real family.

Even Lily didn't stay though, as James called her out for a 'moonlit stroll' and dinner at his place. I mean, neither of us could judge, for we were doing exactly the same thing.

My mother had completely emptied the room, so it felt like my own again. Though I shared it with him now.

For the first time, neither of us was so forthright about it, instead preferring subtle innuendo while we ate a light supper with a glass of wine. That was until the clock struck twelve and Sirius picked me up, and put me down on the bed.

Nothing was ferocious however, as he climbed on top and kissed down my neck, then back up to my lips. His hands slid under my shirt, over my chest and round my back, cupping my buttocks at one point.

Having let him have the dominance for too long, I rolled us both over so I was on top, and began to plant small kisses down his chest, stopping only at his nipples. The entire time I kept eye contact. As if by magic, I removed him of his jeans and shirt, leaving him there in the moonlit room in only his boxers. I took my time, kissing around the straining bulge in his pants, until I slowly brought my mouth over it.

"Remus... please." he moaned to me.

I was more than happy to oblige, slowly pulling his boxers down with my teeth until enough was exposed to take him fully into my mouth. He was hot, grunting, but gentle at the same time as he ran his hands through my hair. I savoured it, every moment, because there is nothing like the one you love.

It wasn't long until he indicated how close he was, and immediately I backed off. This was in no way ending now, though we had all night. I redirected my mouth and tongue south of his manhood, and with a few tentative licks he was moaning, muscles tensing and gasping for breath.

I began to unbutton my jeans with my hand, slowly keeping at Sirius, until he decided he had enough. He pulled himself up then ripped my shirt off with his hands, many of the buttons pinging off.

"Whoops." he whispers in my ear as his hands run up and down my own length, already coated in lube. "I liked that shirt, though I like you better without it I must say."

He pushes me down onto my back and in one smooth motion brings himself down on me. The heat and pressure is pleasurable as I can't stop the yell I emit as he begins to move himself up on down. His lips find me once again and I begin to move, pace increasing, caught up in the lust of the moment. He slows me, gasping in my ear, telling me how much he wants it, how much he loves me.

If his goal was to end this sooner, he was certainly going about the right way.

He'd been on top for long enough as I brought up round again and brought his legs up, never once leaving inside of him, pushing in and out.

I can't take it and before I know it, I'm there, yelling out, riding the wave of pleasure. And he's there, with me, our moans in unison, hands held tightly together.

And then it's over, as I lie on his warm chest. He looks down at me, and I up at him.

"I'll have you know." he whispers. "When I'm ready, I'm topping next."

I can't wait.


End file.
